Strawberry Shampoo
by InsomniacHighway
Summary: Rachel escapes to the locker room to wash off the remnants of a slushy. Quinn escapes to the locker room to avoid the disapproving stares of the Cheerios. Both girls think they're alone, but when they realize that they aren't...Well, let's just say that a bottle of strawberry shampoo can be a powerful thing.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: All characters belong to the creators of the show. Reviews would be appreciated it. This is the first chapter in a multi-chapter fic!

Three slushies before fifth period. That must be a new record for the jocks, Rachel thought as she wiped the sticky grape flavored substance from her eyes and let out a quiet huff, blinking owlishly as she watched the hulking football players high fiving and laughing as they walked away from where Rachel stood, in a purple puddle.

"_Neanderthals_", she muttered under her breath as she marched the three feet to her locker, dripping the awfully sticky grape slushy onto the white linoleum floor. She could care less about the mess, the janitors were used to mopping up the ice and flavored syrup combo. She just wanted to get her bag and disappear from sight before Karofsky and his sidekicks could go for the ultimate high score with a fourth slushie.

Normally, if someone got slushied this far in the school day, they would just go home and spare the trouble of getting cleaned up. But not Rachel Berry. Rachel Berry had a practically pristine attendance record and she wasn't about to have it be ruined simply because she happened to be a form of entertainment for future Lima losers and/or jail inmates.

Grabbing her small bag of necessities (soap, shampoo, tissues in case of tears, the usual) along with the clothes she normally wore in phys. ed because she was out of replacement outfits,since she had unfortunately only packed for two incidents instead of one (she should just ask the janitors if she could use one of the storage rooms as a closet from now on) she decided to make her way to the locker room.

Washing her hair in the tiny bathroom sink was too much of a complicated task and after doing it twice already, she decided to opt for the more practical solution: the showers. If she was lucky, they'd be deserted at the moment and she could get in a quick shower before her next class.

Five minutes later, the temporarily sticky and obviously annoyed brunette quietly slipped into the girls' locker room that was situated next to the gymnasium and sighed in relief when she found it to be completely empty. The last thing she needed was to walk into a room full of girls and be ridiculed yet again.

Wasting no time, she dropped her small bag onto a nearby bench by the shower stalls and began to strip, one sticky item at a time.

Her woolly owl sweater and skirt, both drenched with the liquid, were rapidly stuffed into a plastic shopping bag that she would bring home and try her best to get the stains out, though sometimes she had to throw the clothes out all together, but that was mostly when she had the misfortune of receiving a cherry flavored slushy, aka: the ruiner of all clothes.

However, slushies and wool did not mix very well and although the stains were a pain in the ass to get out, Rachel had learned a few practical tricks with baking soda.

Her panties and bra were next and she was somehow grateful to find that they had been unsoiled, because sitting through her next class, going commando in gym shorts would have most likely been uncomfortable.

Tossing the matching baby blue cotton garments onto the bench and kicking off her knee socks as quickly as possible before someone could walk in and see her stark naked (another thing that would give the ruthless bullies ammunition against her), she grabbed her soap and washcloth before stepping into the nearest stall, pulling the flimsy white curtain closed and immediately turning on the water, letting out a quiet sigh as the hot spray washed over her sticky, purple stained skin.

She could already see the diluted purple color begin to swirl down the shower drain as she stood there for a moment with her head under the running water as she closed her eyes.

In her mind, she was reliving the three consecutive slushies of the day: lime, raspberry and then grape. Each of them were like an icy slap to the face and as her brain replayed the laughter of the jocks as well as everyone else that happened to be standing in the hallway at that time, she felt hot tears sliding down her cheeks, mixing with the shower water and cursed softly to herself.

See, everyone thought that Rachel Berry didn't cry. That she took the bullying with her head up high and didn't let it get to her. But after receiving three Big Gulps to the face in the span of just a few hours, even Rachel Berry had to shed a few tears. But she wouldn't let herself sob, no. Sobbing would be admitting defeat to the jocks.

Sniffling on the other hand was totally allowed, and the sniffling, combined with the sound of the water hitting the shower tiles, was exactly why she didn't hear the sound of the locker room door opening on the other side of the room as a certain blonde slipped inside, using the locker room as refuge as well.

Quinn, clad in the standard red and white uniform, had escaped to the locker rooms after running off the field during Cheerios practice.

Her excuse had been a migraine, but in reality, she just needed to get away for a few minutes. It was only her second week back on the squad after finally being allowed to rejoin following the whole pregnancy debacle. She thought that going back to the Cheerios would fix that empty feeling inside of her and make her happy again because she'd regain her social status and everything would be right in the world, as it should be.

But that clearly wasn't the case. Where she once found thrill and excitement in performing and leading the squad, she now found misery. The girls she had once called her 'friends', who had worshipped her and followed her around school, doing her bidding like she had been a queen, now looked at her with mildly contained disapproval and disgust.

With the exception of Santana and Brittany, of course, they now treated her like she was at the bottom of the pyramid and not the fearless team captain she had been only a year prior. She had once been Quinn Fabray: Captain of the nationally ranked Cheerios, President of the Celibacy Club and good Christian daughter. Now she was Quinn Fabray: Ex-captain who got knocked up at sixteen, kicked out by her parents and is most likely going to hell. It didn't have a nice ring to it.

She couldn't take it anymore, which is why she now found herself slipping into the (what appeared to be) empty locker room and locking the door behind her. She didn't want any of the other girls to come after her, especially not Coach Sylvester.

Once she heard the lock click behind her, she sagged against the door and let out a long winded sigh, rubbing the back of her neck. Two weeks in and she was already stiffer than she'd ever been for being out of the swing of things. "_This might have been a stupid idea._.." she mumbled to herself as she pushed off the door and walked further into the locker room.

She had busted her ass all summer to get back into shape and practically pleaded with Coach Sylvester to let her back on the team, and now that she was on it again, all she wanted to do was get as far away from the judging eyes of her fellow teammates. It was ridiculous.

"_Maybe I should have gone to that fancy boarding school in Paris, after all_." she murmured as she dropped her Cheerios bag onto the ground and tugged her hair out of the retched tight ponytail,the golden blonde locks flowing down around her tense shoulders.

The idea of her being sent to a boarding school in Europe had been put on the table when news broke out that she was pregnant, and the only reason that her parents didn't end up forcing her to go was because they figured they could keep a better eye on their disappointed of a daughter if she was still in the country.

But Paris would have been nice. She could have started over. She doubted that anyone at Notre-Dame International High School would have called her 'Juno' or 'Tubbers'. A fresh start would be nice just about now. She'd make friends that had no idea she had gotten pregnant at sixteen and was a total disappointment to her ultra religious conservative parents.

"_I could totally learn French_." she said brightly as she opened her locker to grab her Cheerios jacket before pausing as she heard a sound coming from the other side of the locker room.

She had been so preoccupied talking to herself like some kind of looney that she hadn't realized that the soft pitter-patter was sound of the shower running. This meant that someone was here. Someone that might have heard her talking to herself.

"_Great, now people can add 'crazy' to the list of reasons why Quinn Fabray is falling from grace_.", she muttered before cursing when she realized that she was_ still_ talking to herself. Maybe she really was insane.

Tossing her jacket back into her locker, she closed it with a gentle click, so not to alarm whoever else was in the room before moving towards the shower stalls to investigate.

She only knew one thing so far: it was a girl. Obviously. Since it was the girl's locker room after all. "_Way to go, Sherlock_.",she breathed out before frowning because _again with the talking to herself. _

Shaking her head to herself, she practically tip toed across the tiled floor, which was ridiculous because it's not like she was a serial killer sneaking up on her victim or something. And she was allowed to be here, so what the hell was she doing with the whole secret spy act!?

Rolling her eyes to herself, she stopped a few feet away from the only running shower stall and opened her mouth to call out, about to ask the person to reveal their name so she could know who the heck was in here with her.

But before the first syllable could leave her parted pink lips, she noticed two things. The first, was that the water she could see draining at the bottom of the stall was strangely purple colored.

The second, was that on the bench, beside a bag of equally purple stained clothes and a pair of...delicates, which she shamefully looked at for a moment too long, was a small bottle of strawberry scented shampoo. There was only one person she knew that smelled like strawberries every time she walked by her. One tiny, very loud person.

One manicured brow rose as she connected the dots and whirled back towards the shower, where she realized she could hear soft sniffling pouring out from behind the curtain. She stared at said curtain for the longest time before swallowing and licking her surprisingly dried lips.

"_Rachel...?_",she finally made her voice call out as she slowly picked up the bottle of shampoo from the bench,its sweet scent already tickling her senses. The brunette had obviously forgotten to bring it in with her, and she knew she would need it if her suspicions were correct and the girl was washing off the remains of a slushy attack.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer**: I do not own any of the characters, those are credited to the Glee creators.

* * *

Just when Rachel had calmed down enough to realize that washing the sticky syrup out of her hair would prove to be extremely difficult when her bottle of shampoo still laid four feet away on the wooden bench, she heard a soft feminine voice on the other side of the shower curtain calling her name.

And she screamed.

Very,_ very_ loudly. In true Rachel Berry fashion of course, she always had a flare for overreacting. She even dropped her bar soap onto the tiled floor for dramatic effect, the pink bar sliding directly into another stall, at which she pouted for a brief second before returning to the situation at hand.

This was it. She was about to get murdered in the shower like some scene straight out of Alfred Hitchcock's _Psycho_, when...

"_Rachel, what the_ hell!?_ I'm not gonna strangle you with the damn shower curtain for God's sake. Stop screaming before I go deaf_." the female voice huffed out, a slight annoyance to the tone.

That could have only been one person, if the voice and tone was anything to go by. She rose a brow in surprise, shuffling slightly under the spray of hot water.

"_Quinn..._?", she called out hesitantly, not daring to poke her head out from behind the curtain because she was sure she had purple lines running down her neck still.

_"No, it's the freaking Tooth Fairy. I decided to swing by for a chat and see if you had any baby teeth left to cash in_." she deadpanned.

Sarcastic as always, she thought to herself as she rolled her eyes. It was definitely Quinn. Which, in a way, was kind of scarier than a knife wielding murderer. Especially when she was in this sort of predicament (naked, sticky... purple). Quinn could have a field day with this. Her eyes were already widening in horror.

"_Quinn Fabray, if you currently have a camera in your possession and are here to humiliate me by taking pictures of me in my vulnerable state, I would like to remind you that my daddy is a lawyer and taking these sorts of pictures would result in_-"

"_Rachel, please shut up_.", the blonde said, effectively cutting her off. "_God, you even ramble in the shower._",she groaned in frustration, shaking her head.

"_Quinn Fabray, I do not ramble_!"

"_Yes, you do. Also, must you use my first AND last name every time you address me_?",she asked with a quirked eyebrow, even though Rachel couldn't see her. In fact, she was basically talking to the shower curtain since all she could see of Rachel were her calves, and her feet. And the purple running through the water.

Rachel felt her cheeks turn bright pink and in that moment, she was extra grateful to be covered by the flimsy plastic shower curtain. She hated blushing in front of Quinn, yet she found herself doing in so often. She couldn't help it. The blonde was so... flustering!

She huffed indignantly at her while subtly trying to retrieve her soap by sliding her foot into the next stall, stretching slightly.

"_Here, let me get that before you slip and crack your head open on the shower tiles. The last thing I need right now is for people to think I tried to kill you in the school shower. My list of negatives is already long enough for one year. I don't need a criminal record too._",she muttered as she stepped into the next stall and gently kicked the bar of soap back over to Rachel's side.

"_Also, for the record, i'm not here to take pictures of you. I was... taking a break from practice. I didn't even know you were in here._",she added a moment later.

"_Since when does the great Quinn Fabray ever need to take a break from Cheerios practice_?",she brunette curiously asked as she picked up the bar of soap and tried to scrub off the dried syrup on her arms.

"_Since apparently 98% of the team now hates me because I cheated on my boyfriend with his best friend, got knocked up and kicked out of my house all in the span of one miserable year._",she said bitterly, plopping down on the bench because she was tired of standing. Practice had really done a number on her legs. "_They all think i'm_ _some whore/loser who should be_ h_anding out water bottles instead of standing on top_ _of the pyramid_."

There was a long silence after that. Quinn didn't say anything else for the longest time, and Rachel had no idea how to respond. She had been happy for the blonde when she had gotten back on the Cheerios. They might not be friends, but she knew that getting back on the team was the first step in Quinn regaining what she had lost.

Despite the fact that Quinn had been cruel to her while on top of the social ladder, she still wanted the blonde to be happy. But clearly even her beloved Cheer Squad wasn't doing anything to help the blonde forget about the events of the previous year.

In fact, they seemed to be making it worse. Rachel had never seen Quinn so sad as she did during their sophomore year. The blonde had lost a lot. Her title as Queen Bee, the respect of most of her friends, her parents' trust. She had even lost her daughter because she had given her up for adoption right after the tiny blonde was born. Which had triggered some painful emotions for Rachel herself because the baby was adopted by her own mother, but that was another story altogether and she wasn't about to think about that fiasco while showering. In Quinn's presence.

She felt guilty. Guilty because she had been so busy focusing on her own problems; the slushies, the harassment from the jocks, to really notice that Quinn was having problems too.

Sure she had tried to help her during the pregnancy, as much as she could because they weren't actually friends and Quinn tended to act like she hated her. But she assumed that after she had given up her daughter and moved back in with her parents, thing had gone back to normal.

Rachel Berry was an oblivious idiot, apparently.

"_If it makes you feel any better...I don't think you're a whore. Or a loser, Quinn. I never have.",_she murmured softly_._

_ "And if the girls on that team think that of you, then they're clearly not your real friends. They didn't have to go through what you went through. They don't realize how incredibly brave and strong you are for doing what you did last year. How courageous you are for trying to get back on the Cheerios after Sue kicked you off, and even after she refused, you tried again and made the team." _

_"You come to school every single day and you're trying your best to get your life back together and if that doesn't earn their respect, then they don't deserve to have you as their captain anymor_e.", the brunette said all in one breath, forgetting that she was still standing naked in a locker room shower.

Quinn, who had been sitting on the bench, was deep in thought before Rachel spoke up. She was still thinking about that French boarding school thing and if it was too late to enroll. Because obviously things weren't going to magically go back to normal here and being a Fabray, running away from her problems instead seemed to be the family style.

She assumed that she had made Rachel uncomfortable, or that the girl had gone back to washing the slushy off of herself (which she still hadn't brought up), but then she spoke again and Quinn just looked up, staring at the shower curtain for the longest time as she listened to Rachel's long winded speech.

When she was done, Quinn was still left staring because for some reason, there was a lump in her throat now as the room went back to silence. No one had ever said those kinds of words to her. Not even her two closest friends. No one had called her brave, or strong, or courageous. All she ever heard was 'disappointment' and 'mistake' or 'embarrassment to the family'.

And now Rachel had just told her she was all of these things, all in one breath, while she was taking a shower and Quinn was awkwardly lingering outside the stall.

She didn't even know what she was still doing here. What _was_ she doing here anyway? She should have just went back to her business once she found her who was in the shower, or find some other place to hide from the Cheerios. But the fact that it was Rachel behind that curtain had made her stay, and she didn't want to admit to herself why that was.

"_Quinn...? Are you okay? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you by anything I said. I was just trying to make you feel better_.",she heard the brunette's soft voice say in a slightly panicked tone and couldn't help the small smile that appeared on her lips. "_I won't say anything else on the subject, I-_..."

"_Rachel, you're rambling again._"

That earned her a huff from the girl, but the rambling did stop and she chuckled lowly.

She then realized that she was still holding the item that had made her speak up in the first place. The thing that had clued her in on just who was in the shower, and the reason she had lingered so she could give it to her.

She looked down at the bottle of shampoo and bit her lip to stifle a smile. She was holding something that made Rachel, so... Rachel. The very thing that made the brunette smell so.. delectable? Wait, no. Don't say that, Fabray, she frowned to herself, blushing furiously. You don't think Rachel smells delectable. She just smelled very nice and... fruity. Is that why you feel weak in the knees every time she walks by and you can smell her shampoo? _Shut up inner voice!_

"_You know, I think it's gonna be hard to wash corn syrup out of your hair without your secret weapon._..",she chuckled softly.

Her shampoo. Rachel had completely forgotten about that. She had been standing under the water for the past ten minutes, having some weird sort of Oprah conversation with Quinn and she still hadn't washed her hair. But that was Quinn's fault.

The blonde was distracting. She was also 4 feet away while she was in the shower. Naked. Wet... and naked. It was all very flustering. But Quinn had that effect on everyone... right? She was the prettiest girl in school, it was only natural for her to feel this way. (And not because of a tiny crush.)

She was just about to stop her inner ramblings (Quinn was right, she did always ramble),when a slender, pale hand suddenly slipped past the curtain to hand her the very bottle of shampoo she had left on the bench, causing her to gasp softly.

"_Here you go, Strawberry Shortcake._",the blonde said in a playful tone.

But all Rachel Berry could think was that a part of Quinn Fabray was in the shower. _With her_. (Granted, it was just her hand,and part of her forearm, but...minor details!)

Strawberry shampoo was a wonderful thing.

* * *

Chapter 3 should be up tomorrow.

Things could start heating up in the locker room. ;)

Reviews would be appreciated!

xxx


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer**: All characters belong to the creators of Glee.

I said that things would be heating up in Chapter 3, but instead I decided to post this small chapter while I work on what is now gonna be Chapter 4 instead. Then things will start to get steamy. ;) So stick around.

* * *

_Quinn has really toned arms..._Rachel thought as she stood in the middle of the shower stall, the water running down her back and hitting the tiles in a soft rhythm.

Was she slightly aroused by the sight of the blonde's toned arm, pale hand and slender fingers holding out a simple bottle of her favorite shampoo for her to take and finally get this impromptu shower over with?

Yes.

Was it really, really weird that she was slightly aroused by this?

Hell yes.

What was her reasoning for all of this?

The excessive amounts of frozen liquids hitting her in the face that day had definitely affected her brain cells and were making her get turned on by the strangest things, like an arm and a freaking shampoo bottle.

Speaking of that arm, it was still holding...

"_Uh, Rachel_...?" the voice seemed to snap her out of her thoughts and she finally remembered where she was, and who she was having a conversation with.

While in the shower.

She couldn't stress that part enough. Rachel Berry, shower and Quinn Fabray did not belong in the same sentence together.

Although... they might have popped into her mind more than once, but... Like she said. Thoughts like those were normal, right? Everyone had naked shower thoughts about Quinn Fabray, she reassured herself.

Completely and utterly...

Normal.

(She wasn't ready to admit that crush yet. Nope. Still in denial.)

"_Rachel_!" the voice said again as the hand wiggled the bottle it was holding. "_Did you pass out or_ _something_?" she heard Quinn say, her tone laced with concern.

_Aw, Quinn's worried about me_, she thought.

_No, she probably thinks you're a moron because she's been holding your shampoo for the past three minutes and you still haven't taken it from her yet, _she rolled her eyes at herself.

"_Idiot_..." she muttered under her breath.

"_Um, excuse me...?"_

CRAP!

"_No no not. Not you, Quinn. I was just um... talking to myself?",_she said slowly as she finally took the bottle from her hand, pouting slightly as she watched it finally retreat from behind the shower curtain.

_So Rachel talks to herself too. Cute_, she thought before widening her eyes slightly at her own inner voice.

No, Rachel wasn't cute. _Yes she is_, the inner voice replied. _You think everything Rachel does is cute. You just don't want to admit it. What is it that Brittany called you again_...?

"_I am not a pressed lemon_!" she huffed out loud before her eyes widened comically again when she realized that she had not replied inside her head. Actually, the bigger problem was that she was holding conversations inside her head in the first place. Maybe she was crazy after all. That would explain a lot.

"_Quinn...what's a pressed lemon_?" the brunette called out from behind the curtain, where she was finally lathering up her long chestnut locks with the shampoo.

She had to use a lot because her hair had become even stickier during the minutes where she had been just standing there talking to Quinn.

However, she did _not _mind wasting water when it came to Quinn Fabray. Water saving be damned for five minutes.

Also why was Quinn currently talking about pressing lemons...?

"_Nothing_!" the blonde mumbled from the other side, cursing herself softly. If she had to explain to Rachel of all people that a pressed lemon meant a repressed lesbian, well... Let's just say she wasn't ready to broach that kind of topic.

Not now.

With Rachel in the shower.

Naked.

And wet.

And naked...

Also, now that she looked more closely, she could see the outline of the brunette's curves from behind the flimsy piece of plastic that separated them.

_Fuck. I _am_ a pressed lemon. _

Great. It was time to update her title to Quinn Fabray: Ex-captain of the Cheerios who got knocked up at sixteen, got kicked out by her parents and is most likely going to hell... Especially if she happens to be a flaming lesbian as well.

"_Do you need any help_?" she blurted out suddenly in an attempt to stop her stupid, overly long inner monologues. Then she realized what had just left her mouth and her eyes grew wide in horror, especially since she could see Rachel's frame... or shadow, freeze.

"_N-Not like that. I mean, um...Obviously I'm not gonna get in the shower with you, because that'd be weird and I'm pretty sure that you're not into that. Not that I'm into that! I-I just meant that I could..._" she licked at her dry lips and gulped.

She was trying to backpedal and was panicking all at the same time.

Fuck fuck fuck!

She took a deep breath and took a moment to collect herself. "_I could go get you some clothes_." she finally said, rubbing the back of her neck nervously.

"_We have extra Cheerios sweats in the storage room and they're really comfy... and I think I could get some small enough to fit you. Also, I don't think anyone would dare slushy you again because the jocks know that if they ruin something of ours Sue is gonna have their asses_." she rushed out all in one nervous breath.

_You're an idiot, Fabray. _

_Shut up brain! _

Rachel had nearly dropped the bottle of shampoo on her foot when Quinn had suddenly blurted out an offer to help her. And of course, the brunette's mind had gone straight to the gutter. _Pervert._

She was already picturing the blonde 'helping' her rinse the shampoo out of her hair when the girl spoke up again and clarified what she meant by helping. She couldn't help but pout a little in disappointment.

_Obviously she's not going to get in here with you, moron. You're a girl. And you're naked. And you're not even friends. And she's straight. And it would be weird, _she thought to herself.

She sighed heavily and ran a hand through her wet locks that still had some of the shampoo remaining in them and gave a small nod, even though Quinn couldn't see her.

"_Some sweats would be nice, Quinn. Thank you_", she murmured even though she already had her gym clothes. She wasn't about to refuse one of, if not the only, times Quinn Fabray actually offered_ her_ help.

"_And don't worry about not finding anything that fits well. I'll just be happy to not be all wet and sticky anymore._", she laughed awkwardly before realizing just how dirty that had sounded and resisted to urge to knock her head against the tiled wall.

_Smooth, Rachel. _

Good thing Quinn couldn't see how red her cheeks were. She only hoped the blonde hadn't heard the accidental innuendo in her words.

_"I-I'll be back in a minute_..." Quinn mumbled but she remained frozen in her spot in front of the shower stall for two reasons.

The first was that the words wet and sticky had triggered some very... inappropriate thoughts in her mind.

Thoughts revolving around the previously wet and sticky brunette.

The second thing that had her rooted in place was the familiar smell that was wafting out of the shower along with the steam from the hot water.

Rachel's heavenly strawberry shampoo.

And that smell, well...

It triggered something else inside of her.

An awakening of sorts...

* * *

Thanks for reading this small chapter while I work on the good stuff.

Next chapter will feature Quinn finally putting the pieces of the puzzle together of why she had behaved a certain way towards Rachel in the past + some Faberry locker room action. ;)

And hopefully the strawberry shampoo is going to keep working its magic on Quinn!

4 might be up tomorrow night or Saturday, since I already posted 3 chapters today.

Please be kind and review!

xxx


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer**: All characters belong to the Glee creators.

And to the reviewer who told me to write longer chapters, this is for you. ;) xx

* * *

A full minute had gone by and Quinn still hadn't moved from her current spot, despite having just told the girl that she was going to go get her some fresh clothes in the Cheerios storage room.

She was still fixed on the scent of Rachel's shampoo that kept wafting from the shower stall while the brunette hummed quietly to herself, assuming that the blonde had gone already and that she was once again alone while she made sure that her entire body was free of purple patches of sticky syrup.

But no, Quinn was still there, lingering just a couple of feet away like some creeper in some weird sort of trance. _Pervert. _

Every breath she took brought the sweet smell of strawberries to her nose.

Every inhale brought forth a different memory or point in time.

All of which involving Rachel.

Rachel brushing past her in the hall.

Rachel sitting nearby in class.

Rachel standing a bit too close when they were paired together for a chemistry lab.

Rachel dancing beside her in Glee numbers, her long chocolate locks whirling in the air as the brunette sang her little heart out.

Every single one of those times she could breathe in the scent that was so... so _Rachel._ It made her weak in the knees.

It made her heart throb so loudly that she was sure the brunette could hear it.

It made her palms sweat.

Her mouth dry up.

The simple smell of strawberries stirred up a storm inside of her. A storm she wanted to banish.

And as she listened to Rachel finishing up in the shower, softly singing the lyrics to some kind of show tune because she thought she was alone, Quinn realized something else.

She hadn't realized it until now that those instances where her senses were assaulted by strawberry shampoo were the same moments where she had been so unnecessarily cruel to Rachel.

And she had just figured out why.

"_Fuck_...",she breathed out, so softly that Rachel couldn't hear her over the spray of water.

And then the water finally shut off.

And Quinn did something she was incredibly good at.

She bolted, and ran straight for the storage room, leaving Rachel truly alone this time.

"_Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuuuuuck_.",she groaned once she was safely out of earshot, slipping into the storage closet and closing the door behind her, leaning against it heavily.

She forgot that she was in here for sweatpants.

Right now, her brain was in freak out mode.

Instead she spent a few minutes doing some heavy breathing. The kind that would normally require a paper bag of sorts to breathe into.

Okay so maybe Quinn had spent a few years being completely repressed and in denial... or really just oblivious to her feelings for a certain...person, but could anyone really blame her?

Religious parents who were also ultra-conservative and would probably send her to live on a farm in middle of nowhere Alabama if they had so much as an inkling that their supposedly perfect youngest daughter liked the other sex?

Yes. It was safe to say that it might have pushed Quinn so far back in the closet that she was able to access Narnia at the same time and frolic with a freaking Satyr if she wanted to.

Forget the scandal of pregnancy.

If Quinn had shown any signs of homosexuality, they would have slapped her with a hard copy of the King James Bible, doused her in holy water and possibly burned her at the stake, Joan of Arc style.

Possibly.

_Don't you think you're being a tad bit dramatic_? Her inner voice chimed in.

Quinn just huffed and rolled her eyes. "_Oh just shut up_..." she muttered before groaning loudly as she ran a hand through her hair and tugged on the ends in frustration.

"_I need to stop talking to myself_." she sighed softly before internally swearing when she realized she had done it again.

"_This is all Rachel's fault_.", she grumbled as she straightened up and began pulling clothes off the shelves, suddenly remembering why she was in the storage room in the first place.

Rachel was probably wondering where the hell she was.

"_Oh god, what if she thinks that I ditched her!_?" she said out loud, widening her eyes in horror as she headed for the door before stopping in her tracks.

She couldn't go now.

She was still a panicky mess and her big walls of repression were still crumbling around her like a house of cards.

Every time she had been mean to Rachel in the past, it was because Rachel had been so close to her.

She hadn't realized that until now, but when Rachel was at a safe distance, where she couldn't... smell her (creepy, but true) she could keep her anger in check and not lash out at the brunette.

But when Rachel came closer and she could smell that damn strawberry shampoo that the girl insisted on using every freaking day, she had all of these foreign feelings manifesting inside of her.

Lust.

Attraction.

_Want_.

And of course being raised as the perfect Christian girl, she couldn't understand those feelings or even comprehend where they came from.

They also happened to scare the crap out of her, so she did the only thing she taught would make the feelings go away.

She lashed out. She lashed out over and over, every time she was triggered by Rachel Berry because it was the only defense mechanism she could think of to try and bury those sinful feelings deep inside of her.

It just had to be Rachel fucking Berry. Her complete opposite. Loud, bold, annoying, bossy raised in a liberal and open minded family. _Her _parents wouldn't shun her if she was gay.

Of course on top of apparently being a flaming homosexual she had to go and fall for Rachel of all people!

That just fueled her anger even more.

But that wasn't the worst part, no. The worst part was that every time she was mean to the girl, Rachel kept coming back. The brunette kept trying to befriend her, to get close to her. Quinn had said the meanest, foulest things to her. Had organized a myriad of slushies (excluding the ones of that day), but still, Rachel kept caring about her and didn't stop persisting to be in her life.

And that pissed her the fuck off.

But god, it also made Quinn fall so much more in love with her, every single time.

It was a really messed up cycle.

_She_ was really messed up.

Running away from Cheerios practice had only caused her to run into something else.

Or face something else, she should say.

Her feelings for the tiny, loud, annoying...currently very naked, brunette.

And all because of a running shower and a stupid shampoo bottle.

In that moment, she made what was probably the second bravest decision she had ever made. (The first had been going through with her pregnancy.)

She decided that she was tired of running away. Quinn had been running her whole life, mostly from her feelings and from Rachel. Her parents already thought she was an abomination for getting knocked up at sixteen, how worse could it really get?

She gulped.

"_I wonder if they have bacon in hell_...",she mumbled to herself as she grabbed the t-shirt and sweats before opening the door and marching right back towards the stall, where Rachel was probably wondering if she had been kidnapped or something on her way to the storage room.

* * *

It wasn't long after Quinn had announced that she was off to go get her some clean clothes that Rachel finally finished her shower, after what seemed like an eternity. Granted she had spent a good ten minutes having a conversation with a certain Cheerio standing on the other side of the white curtain while wasting perfectly good water. (Sooo worth it.)

She was softly singing the soundtrack to 'Funny Girl' as she rang out her hair, waiting for Quinn to return, hopefully with a towel because she hadn't planned ahead for her impromptu shower, therefore she had nothing to dry herself with.

Well, there was the shower curtain...

But ew. No. That would be disgusting.

So she awkwardly lingered in the shower, still naked. (Obviously). And now that the water wasn't running anymore, she was beginning to feel a bit chilly... if the current state of her nipples where anything to go by.

"_Quinn.._.?",she called out softly after a few minutes had gone by. Nothing.

She frowned slightly to herself. It's not like the storage room was at the other end of the school. It was right next to the locker room. Actually, she was pretty sure it could be accessed through the locker room as well. So what could be taking the blonde so long?

"_Quinn, while I appreciate the gesture of you offering to get me some clothes and do not want to complain because you're being surprisingly nice to me.._. _I'm kind of freezing in here_!",she said in a louder tone, hoping that the blonde would hear her.

But still... nothing.

She was beginning to get slightly uncomfortable, and concerned.

Then a thought crossed her mind and she widened her eyes in horror as the idea festered longer.

"_Oh my god. This is part of some prank_!",she rushed out in a panic, slowly peaking her head out of the shower curtain, half expecting to see a hoard of students (Or Jacob Ben Israel) standing there with cameras, ready to see Rachel Berry naked and humiliated. "_She's left me here with no clothes and no towel so I'd be forced to walk out o___f _the shower naked, and when I do someone's going to come in and... Oh my god, where is she!?_",she rambled out to herself, almost to the point of hyperventilating.

"_No wonder she was being so nice. She was setting me up_!" she muttered, huffing softly as she crossed her arms over her chest. She was practically shivering.

_And yet, you have a crush on this girl..._Her inner self sighed._ I think you're a masochist..._

"_I am not_!",she yelled to the empty room, her voice echoing off the walls as she scoffed lightly, pouting at her own thoughts as she refused to agree with them.

Okay, so...

Maybe she was a bit of a masochist...or a bit more than that.

After all, every time Quinn had been a bitch to her, she had just bounced right back and tried harder to acquire the blonde's friendship.

Every slushy and cruel name just made her more persistent. Quinn acted like she hated her guts most of the time (especially the previous year), but she saw that as a challenge. And everyone knew that Rachel Berry loved a challenge.

"_Or maybe I have some weird form of Stockholm syndrome_." she grumbled to herself. Because she was always making excuses for Quinn's actions. Every time the words 'Manhands' or 'Rupaul' left those pretty pink lips, Rachel kept on telling herself that she wasn't seeing the real Quinn. That it was all and act and that the blonde didn't actually hate her. She kept on growing more attached.

She told herself that she liked to see the good in people, that's why she never hated Quinn for her actions.

"_God, how cheesy is that?_", she groaned, running a hand through her hair. It was drying now that she had been standing there for the past five or so minutes, and it was beginning to go back into its natural state. Which meant that it was curling.

_Rachel, honey... You know you're lying to yourself_... The voice in her head chimed, and for the first time, she actually acknowledged it.

She decided to hell with it and admitted defeat as she slumped back against the cold tile of the shower walls.

It wasn't Stockholm Syndrome that made her so attached to Quinn. It wasn't masochism either.

She had been lying to herself because she wanted to protect her pride, and her dignity. After all, one would have to be completely insane to... to...

"_To have romantic feelings for the person who acts like she hates you_.",she whispered softly.

Feelings. That's what she was blinded by. That's what kept on pushing her to try again.

Stupid feelings!

_But Quinn looks like a movie star. She's smart, she's talented, she has those eyes that turn you into a puddle of goo every time you stare into them, not to mention that her voice is the sexiest-_

"_Okay that's it_.",she huffed, interrupting her inner voice. "_I admit, okay_?",she whispered harshly. "_I have stupid feelings for_-", she swung the curtain open, still believing that Quinn had ditched her so she had decided to run out and grab her old clothes as quickly as possible. But just as she had swung the curtain open, in the middle of a conversation with herself (that would send her straight to the loony bin if someone overheard her), Quinn had chosen that exact _moment_ to reappear, clothes in hand.

So in short, Rachel Berry was standing there, completely naked. (Her nipples looking like they could pick a lock because there was a damn draft in the locker room, but that wasn't important.)

Quinn Fabray was standing five feet away, frozen in place, looking like a deer caught in the headlights. (Which would have been cute, if Rachel wasn't in her freaking birthday suit.)

And all Rachel could do was widen her eyes in completely horror and hope to dear God that there weren't people hiding nearby with any sort of video recording device.

* * *

Quinn could hear Rachel talking to herself, which made her feel a tad less crazy for doing the same so often. But she figured that the brunette was getting impatient because it had almost been ten minutes since she had disappeared to get her some clothes, so she decided to hurry up and walk faster.

As soon as she turned the corner however, the sight she was met with almost made her fall on face.

A_ very very very _naked Rachel Barbra Berry, standing outside the shower stall.

Naked.

_You said that already, doofus._

She froze on the spot and apparently her hands stopped working too because the clothes she was holding dropped onto the floor and she immediately forgot about them because...

RACHEL BERRY WAS NAKED. IN FRONT OF HER.

And apparently all she could do right now was stare as three thoughts popped into her clearly perverted mind.

The first, was that she had never seen Rachel with naturally curly hair before and it was probably one of the cutest things she'd ever seen.

The second was that if she needed any sort of confirmation to her gayness, her blatant staring was definitely it.

And third, Rachel's nipples were so hard. She was gorgeous.

She also noticed that Rachel was in too much of a shock to move, or even cover herself. Which was such a win for her because she got to stare at that perfect body for a little while longer because apparently she was a perv who didn't know how to close her eyes and look away.

_Shame on you, Fabray. You're going to hell. _

_"And hell is so hot right now...",_she found herself murmuring out loud, still in a trance by the tanned skin, curves and... lady parts she was seeing.

But apparently, those words were enough for Rachel to stop being a horrified looking (naked) statue and snap out of it. She didn't even realize that Quinn was currently in a staring contest with her bare breasts. She needed to get dressed as quickly as she could before she would die from embarrassment. (Naked, in front of Quinn, humiliated... it was kind of her worst nightmare.)

So Rachel's bright idea was to run over to the fallen pile of clothes to grab something to at least cover up with.

The thing is, Rachel Berry wasn't aware that doing so was a bad idea. A _very_ bad idea.

You see, the pile of clothes was right in front of the still dazed Quinn (who was currently undergoing some kind of magical sexual awakening because... boobs.)

As she quickly bent down in front of the blonde, cheeks flushed with embarrassment because she still hadn't said anything to the girl, she gathered up the clothes and as she stood back up... something happened.

By now Quinn had obviously figured out what her trigger was, and why.

But now, as Rachel approached her and bent down in front of her, the sweet scent of strawberries on her still slightly damp hair filling her nostrils and igniting that familiar storm in front of her... The same one that made her weak in the knees, palms sweat and mouth dry up, she didn't react by lashing out to repress her feelings.

Not today.

No more pressed lemon Quinn Fabray.

As Quinn breathed in the smell that was so incredibly _Rachel, _so sweet and delicious. So enticing and alluring.

Something inside of her ignited and for the first time, she wasn't going to push it down.

Strawberry shampoo was her aphrodisiac and-...

"_You smell so fucking good_.",her brain made her say, in a tone that was so low and husky that she even surprised herself, and Rachel apparently since the brunette had her eyes widened in slight disbelief, staring at her with those enchanting doe eyes as she froze, clothes still in hand.

"_Let me help you with those_.",she murmured, taking the clothes out of the brunette's hands and tossing them onto the bench, stepping closer to the now speechless brunette.

Rachel had to admit, she was a bit scared. Here was the girl who had bullied her all throughout the previous year and now she was barely a foot away from her, tossing her clothes away, telling her she smelled good. _Fucking good_, to be exact. And staring at her like... like she was a prey almost.

The hazel in the blonde's eyes began to darken and Rachel's gulp was the only thing that could be heard in the deserted locker room. Quinn had never stood so close and it was making her heart throb like crazy and her cheeks flush the same color of Quinn's curve hugging Cheerios uniform. Her breathing became shallower and for what seemed like an eternity, their eyes were locked on each other, until...

It was like time had stopped and then started back again at double the speed, because the next thing she knew, her bare back was being pressed against the cold tiles of the now vacant shower stall, causing a loud gasp to admit from her parted lips as cold met flushed skin, goosebumps rising on tanned flesh.

Apparently that gasp was enough for Quinn to push all doubts, fears and past mistakes to the side and chase that gasp with her own lips, urgently pressing them against the plump, rosy ones belonging to the very person who possessed the sole ability to ignite her from the inside out, spreading warmth through every inch of her being.

_Rachel_.

_Rachel Rachel Rachel._

It was all she could think about as she did the most daring, bravest act she had committed to date.

She kissed her own personal trigger with so much need and want that she forgot where they were and who they were. She just kissed and held and caressed.

And waited. She waited for something she hoped would come, or else she'd be crushed.

But just a split second later, the roaring fire inside of her consumed her as those lips started kissing her back and all she could do for now was hold her tight as she tried to let her lips explain everything. Her past, her pain, her inner struggles.

As she wrapped her arms around a bare waist, she heard a loud thud as something clattered onto the floor.

Fallen from the shower's shelf and rolling into the next stall was the bottle of strawberry shampoo, and then Quinn let out a delightful moan because in that same moment, she had just discovered something else...

...Rachel's lips were strawberry flavored too.

* * *

Told you things were going to start heating up... a little bit. ;)

This is just the beginning of the fire, next chapter is completely dedicated to Faberry strawberry flavored sexy times.

As well as Quinn finally confessing to Rachel (and not her own inner voice) the reason behind all of her actions. (With actual words, not kisses.)

Sexy chapter 5 will be up tomorrow night or Sunday morning! Please be kind and review, it helps. :)

xxx


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: **All characters belong to the Glee creators. **

I went in a bit of a different direction than I had planned to with this chapter, but only because I want to make the story longer.

Enjoy!

* * *

The only logical conclusion that Rachel had come to was that she must have hit her head in the shower, and everything from the moment Quinn had stepped into the locker room until now was all some sort of coma induced dream.

Because there was _no_ way this was actually happening.

Unless she had a really wild imagination.

It had all happened too fast, really.

First there was the incident of Quinn returning from the storage room with clean clothes, only to walk in on her naked as she stepped out of the shower, without a towel handy. (For the record, she had only stepped out because she thought Quinn had ditched her.)

Apparently that wasn't the case.

She had expected the blonde to freak out, close her eyes or even turn around and march right back to the storage room to give her some privacy.

Or worst, criticize her body like she once did every chance she got.

But to her surprise, Quinn couldn't stop staring.

At her.

_Naked_.

That was the first thing that made her believe that she was in some sort of dream universe.

Because there was no way in actual reality that Quinn Fabray would be staring at her breasts like that, in such a gawking manner.

But she was, and Quinn's stare was like an anchor.

It had held her in place, unable to move or even think about covering herself up because of the way Quinn Fabray was looking at her.

Quinn had only ever looked at her that way in a handful of dreams. (Vivid dreams.)

Another reason why she didn't think all of this was real.

She watched as the sweatpants and t-shirt the blonde had brought fell to the floor, which seemed to go unnoticed by Quinn herself.

The locker room was dead silent for a full minute, although she was positive that Quinn could hear how loud her heart was beating, even from a full five feet away.

"_And hell is s__o hot right now.", _was all she heard coming from the blonde's pouty lips, but it was enough to snap her out of her daze, a deep blush coloring her tanned cheeks.

_Hot? _Quinn couldn't possibly be referring to her... could she?

In an instant, she was in front of Quinn, heart hammering as she bent down to gather her clothes while trying to reassure herself that this was all a dream. That she wasn't actually making a fool of herself in front of her not-really-friend/tormentor/girl she was secretly in love with.

Emphasis on the secretly.

But as she was scrambling for the fallen clothes, she heard the blonde inhale sharply and noticed how small goose bumps were rising on that pale skin in front of her.

Looking up at the girl with semi-wide, timid doe eyes, she hesitantly stood up, holding the clothes to her chest. At least it covered her up a little.

That's when time seemed to start moving in slow motion.

She noticed the flush in Quinn's cheeks.

How her usually hazel eyes were darkening in color as the silence went on.

The husky tone that left her lips took her by surprise and she couldn't even formulate the words to protest when Quinn took the clothes out of her hands and tossed them onto the bench, despite having just offered to help her with them.

All she could think about was that the girl who used to take pleasure out of tormenting her, for whom she had what she considered to be a silly and pointless crush...

That girl was looking at her so..._hungrily_.

She couldn't make sense of it. She had never witnessed this kind of behavior in Quinn.

If she had to compare it to something, she looked like a lion about to pounce on its prey.

And then it happened.

She saw something shifting in the blonde.

And then Quinn _did_ pounce.

* * *

They were kissing.

Quinn was kissing her.

She was kissing Quinn.

They were kissing and she couldn't make sense of it all.

But she didn't care.

She didn't care that Quinn had kissed her without any explanation and was now kissing her some more as she held her against the wall of the shower stall she had recently been naked in.

(Although she was still very much naked, since Quinn hadn't let her get dressed yet.)

She didn't care that it didn't make it any sense because this was the same girl who had ordered slushies on her and called her Manhands.

_They were kissing. _

And in that moment, that was all that mattered.

She would ask questions later.

* * *

As she was pressed against the cold tiles of the shower wall, she heard something fall to the ground but barely paid it any mind because she was focused on something else.

Quinn's lips.

She had never kissed a girl before but as she kissed Quinn for the first time, she realized that it was definitely an experience she wanted to repeat.

The blonde's lips were so soft and fit perfectly with her own.

She also didn't slobber when she kissed, like Finn.

And she didn't have rough stubble that scratched at her sensitive skin, like Noah.

Also, she tasted like mint.

It was perfect. Quinn was perfect.

Who cared if this didn't make any sense?

While Rachel was busy with her inner musings about Quinn's lips and the fact that she was kissing the cheerleader, Quinn had something else on her mind.

She wanted more.

The instant that she had discovered that Rachel not only _smelled_ like strawberries but tasted like them too, it was like pouring gasoline on the already blazing fire inside of her.

The fire that had been started by Rachel in the first place with her damn shampoo and the whole naked incident. (Or blessing.)

She had let a moan slip out of her mouth following her pleasant discovery and couldn't help but flick her tongue over a plump bottom lip to get a proper taste of the sweet, tasty gloss.

Which, to her delightful surprise, brought out a moan from the brunette as well.

And that was all she needed to know that Rachel was enjoying this as much as she was.

Because a part of her _had_ spent 3.5 seconds wondering what would happen if Rachel had pushed her away instead of kissing her back.

But apparently that wasn't going to happen any time soon.

Rachel had accepted her advances and now they found themselves pressed together, and it was probably the best thing that had ever happened to her. (After Beth, of course.)

She tried not to think about what would happen when she pulled away, how she would even begin to formulate an explanation for not only the kiss, but every single interaction they've had before that.

They were both worried about the aftermath, actually.

But they were using the kiss as a way to stall.

And in that moment, they both made the same decision.

They were going to let this happen, because their lips didn't want to pull apart just yet. Like a pair of magnets.

They would pour out all of their emotions in a string of silent acts.

And then they would talk.

So for second time that day, Quinn shut off her brain and let her body do the talking.

She began by doing what she had longed for since getting a taste of the brunette's delectable lips.

She deepened the kiss.

Something inside of her was telling her to kiss the girl as thoroughly as she could, in case this was the last chance she had to do so.

So she did.

It started out slow.

She began by slowly flicking her tongue over her bottom lip, like she had done a moment ago, and as she did so, plump lips slowly parted for her, granting her entrance to what she already knew to be a talented mouth.

Which was why it didn't surprise her that Rachel was such an amazing kisser.

Her hands began to move out of their own accord, one moving to cup the back of the smaller girl's neck, holding her in place as if she might disappear at any moment.

The other hand found its way to Rachel's waist and gently curved around a hip bone, squeezing gently as she slowly slipped her tongue into Rachel's mouth for the first time.

As if on cue, both girls found themselves releasing a quiet moan into the other's mouth and she couldn't but chuckle softly as she felt Rachel's skin heating up beneath her fingertips as the girl blushed.

How was on Earth was it possible that she was able to pretend that she hated her for so long?

She was honestly surprised that she hadn't cracked before and kissed her then.

But then again, she _had_ been a so called 'pressed lemon' for so long, she was just happy she had finally got up the nerve to-

_Stop thinking about it and kiss her you idiot!_

Oh. Right.

Quinn had never kissed a girl before, but she had kissed a few people. So she did know what she was doing... kind of. It was different with Rachel. She was so soft.

She began by hesitantly curling her tongue against its counterpart, and when that obtained a soft whimper from the brunette, she grinned to herself and repeated the action before flicking her tongue over the roof of her mouth. (A trick she had actually learned from Puckerman of all people.)

But it seemed to work, because it earned her a louder moan from Rachel.

So she did it again.

And when she did, she felt a hand slip into her hair and tangle up in the golden locks while blunt nails raked over her scalp.

That was enough for Quinn to groan quietly against Rachel's parted lips and press herself closer to her so that the brunette's toned body was flush with her own, enabling her to feel the rapid heartbeat thrumming against her chest.

She was lost for a moment in the feeling of Rachel so snugly pressed against her, her warm,_ bare_ skin radiating against her own body.

Even fully dressed, the feeling of Rachel's perfectly tanned and toned naked body against her own was enough to kick start her arousal as she experienced a familiar feeling between her thighs, a feeling she had so many times ignored in the past because it had been brought on by Rachel then as well.

But now she could feel it pooling in her spanks, and instead of ignoring it, she wanted it to be acknowledged. And taken care of.

She was almost shocked at her own mind when the thought of Rachel's amazing mouth in_ other_ places entered her head and found herself blushing bright read as she entertained the fantasy for a moment.

She was so preoccupied with her own thoughts that she was surprised when she felt a pair of teeth nip at her bottom lip before being followed by a warm tongue that snaked over the bite, soothing the skin from the sting.

The action caused her to let out a surprised gasp as she pulled back, dark eyes wide as she stared down at the girl.

For some reason, the small sting of the bite had caused her to come back to reality and realize exactly what she was doing.

_I'm making out with Rachel Berry. Holy fuck._

But before she had any time to let the panic settle in, Rachel was doing something that caught her completely by surprise.

She was taking control.

And now her back was pressed against the wall, so quickly that she could only gasp as her head gently thudded back against the tiles.

* * *

Rachel figured that if this actually was reality, then she would make the best of it in case Quinn came to her senses and freaked out, running away and leaving her with kiss bruised lips and a crushed heart.

So as the blonde pulled away from her, she took the opportunity to change their positions, pressing Quinn back against the wall.

She had seen this kind of stuff in movies, and pinning Quinn against a wall had always been a little fantasy of hers.

The surprised gasp and the way Quinn's usually pale cheeks were turning a deep shade of red made a spark of arousal run down her spine, directly to her core.

Which apparently was Rachel's on switch.

Because it was her turn to pounce.

Without giving Quinn enough time to react, she leaned forward and began pressing kisses to the girl's neck.

They began soft, and tentative, but as she listened to her draw in a sharp breath and put her hands on her hips, drawing her closer, it was all the encouragement she needed for the kisses to grow from tentative to open mouthed and hot, mapping every inch of the soft, fair skin with her lips until she reached her pulse point.

Beneath her lips, she could feel her pulse thrumming rapidly and couldn't help slowly flicking her tongue over it, reveling in the low whimper it seemed to produce from the blonde.

She repeated the action and began to suck gently on the skin, but then she realized that marking Quinn probably wasn't the best idea, so she settled for lavishing the spot with her tongue for a moment longer before kissing down to her protruding collarbone, where she nipped gently while listening to Quinn's raggedy breaths and quiet whines, her hands gripping Rachel's bare hips tightly.

There was the fleeting thought that she was currently late for her next class, but for the first time in her whole academic career, Rachel found herself not giving a damn.

Making out with Quinn in an empty shower of the deserted locker room was so much better.

She couldn't even bring herself to panic.

The Cheerios were probably looking for Quinn as well, but she didn't care about that either.

And apparently neither did the blonde because as she leaned up on her toes to capture Quinn's lips with her own again, Quinn's still hands began to explore again.

After being pinned against the wall, Quinn's brief panic had immediately ceased.

She had let those strawberry flavored lips quell the panic while simultaneously fueling the fire as she let out a string of soft and quiet moans.

She usually wasn't this vocal while being intimate, but two things were different now.

One, the previous times had been with boys, which explained why she had always been rigid and uncomfortable during their makeout sessions.

And two, Rachel's mouth was so gentle yet amazing, because each time they brushed against her skin, it was like fireworks and sparklers went off inside of her.

It was cheesy, but it was true.

Of course there was also the fact that Rachel's still very naked body was pressed so damn close to her clothed one and all she could smell every time she breathed in was her weakness, her kryptonite. Rachel's shampoo.

All of those factors made for a very turned on, careless Quinn Fabray.

As their lips finally reconnected after a grueling three minutes of being apart, she sighed contently and this time, she didn't need her tongue to ask entrance to Rachel's amazing mouth. Her lips immediately parted for her and as her tongue found refuge inside once more, she slipped her hands slowly up Rachel's body.

They left her hips and trailed up her back,tracing over the bumps of her spine which earned her a shiver from the brunette as she sucked on Quinn's bottom lip, getting a breathy moan in return.

Her fingertips traveled between her shoulder blades, smiling against her new lover's lips as she felt the beginning of goosebumps rise on her skin.

Pale hands then slowly slid down and around to Rachel's stomach, where she raked her nails over the bare flesh of her stomach, feeling its muscles quiver under her touch while Rachel's whimper got swallowed by her mouth.

The action caused Rachel's knees to buckle and as Quinn moved to catch her, they ended up sinking to the ground together instead as the blonde lost her balance, making her laugh softly against Rachel's lips.

"Quinn-...",Rachel spoke out loud for the first time since Quinn had first captured her lips in a kiss. She wanted to know if all of this was okay, because it kept running through her mind that Quinn could freak out on her at any moment and cause her more pain than she had before.

But before she could actually ask, the blonde was shaking her head at her and pulling the girl onto her lap as she sat on the still wet floor of the shower stall. The water was soaking through her skirt, but she didn't even notice. She was too busy looking at Rachel. "Not now.",she whispered, almost pleadingly.

She didn't want this, whatever this was, to end yet. She didn't want the kisses and the soft touches and the sound of Rachel's moans to stop yet because she didn't know what she was going to tell her once it was over.

That she had been secretly in love with her for the past two years?

No. She couldn't do that yet. She wouldn't even know where to begin.

"We'll talk after. I promise.",she murmured as she cupped her cheeks, stroking them with her thumbs as she pulled her into another kiss.

She heard a sigh, then felt Rachel nod into her hands.

Truthfully, neither of them were ready to talk yet.

So they fell back into the comfortable silence of the kisses, which were now familiar and getting more heated with every brush of their lips.

Rachel was getting confident and using more of her tongue to explore Quinn's mouth.

Quinn's hands had hesitantly traveled up to Rachel's breasts and had spent a few moments stroking the curve of them, until an okay was whispered against her lips and with shaky hands, she finally cupped the firm globes of flesh, palming them gently while listening to the sound and feel of Rachel gasping softly against her mouth before shuddering against her as her thumb slowly brushed against hardened nipples.

The brunette's back arched against her hands, pushing her breasts closer and she couldn't help but squeeze them again because the sound of Rachel whimpering in pleasure was her new favorite sound.

Or it was competing for top spot with the brunette's singing.

She was following her instinct as she leaned down and began to lavish Rachel's chest with kisses,some soft, some firm, with a few gentle nips here and there as her mouth traced over every inch of skin that was on display for her.

As she finally let her tongue experimentally flick over one of Rachel's nipples, the brunette's hands that hand been in her hair, scratching and tugging and encouraging her curious mouth, slipped under her Cheerios top.

Her small, tanned hands smoothed over her toned abs up to her bra, fiddling with the lace trim for a moment.

Rachel was about to ask the blonde permission to remove her top, but something stopped them both and made them freeze.

As they sat on the floor of the shower stall, wrapped up in each other with red lips and eager hands, a spilled bottle of shampoo beside them, they heard a sound that snapped both of them right back to reality and the realization of where they were, and what they were doing.

A lock clicked and the locker room door was opened as laughter and chatter floated in.

Cheerios practice was over.

* * *

Okay so, I had originally intended to just fill this chapter with smuttiness and possibly shower sex.

But a) I kind of don't want Rachel to lose her virginity in the shower.

And b) I've had a few requests to make this story longer than I had intended it to be, so I figured that by getting in a bit of faberry action and then stopping it with a little cliff hanger would give me a chance to continue things even further.

But not to worry, there will be faberry sex and the 'talk' in the following chapters.

I just want to make you guys happy by making this story longer.

Hope you enjoyed.

Please review. :)

xxx

(P.S, new chapter will be up either tomorrow or Tuesday!)


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer**: All of the Glee original characters belong to the creators!

* * *

For what seemed like the longest minute of their lives, Quinn and Rachel sat on the wet tiles of the shower floor, staring at each other.

In complete horror.

Well, Rachel was horrified. (Mainly because she was still very much naked and sitting on top of a still clothed Quinn Fabray, in a shower stall, while the Cheerios were coming in from their afternoon practice.)

Quinn was more... terrified.

Terrified because at any moment, one of the Cheerios could pull the curtain open and see her sitting on the ground holding a naked Rachel Berry.

And there was no way in hell she'd be able to explain that one.

Yes, maybe she was beginning to feel a bit more comfortable with her sexuality and her attraction for a certain brunette.

But it didn't mean she was ready to face the embarrassment of being discovered in a shower with her, especially when one of the two was naked.

Not to mention the fact that this was probably against school rules and just the mere thought of the principal having to call her parents to inform them that someone had found their daughter in a shower with another girl, and that girl being Rachel Berry,made her cringe.

This could go on their permanent record! And then Rachel would hate her for ruining hers.

So yeah. She was terrified.

"_Quinn..._" she heard a small voice whisper close to her ear.

She had momentarily forgotten about Rachel sitting on her lap because she had been busy with her inner thoughts that were pushing her to the verge of a major panic attack.

"_Quinn... what are we going to do_?" the brunette said in the quietest tone Quinn ever heard coming from the usually loud and verbose girl.

"_If they catch us together, the whole school is going to find_-"

"_Shhh_."Quinn said, harsher than she meant to as she clamped a hand over Rachel's still moving mouth, instantly feeling guilty when she saw the girl's frown as she attempted to huff against her hand.

"_Look, just... don't move. And don't say anything. If we're lucky, they'll just get their stuff and leave, and then you can get dressed_." she said in a gentle tone, her mouth close to Rachel's ear so that she was the only one who could hear her.

"_And then what? We just walk out of here like nothing ever happened_?" Rachel frowned deeply,pushing her hand away and ducking her head to make Quinn meet her eyes since she was looking in the other direction. "_Do we pretend that you didn't see me_ _naked and then proceeded to practically jump me? Not to mention the fact that you kissed me_ _even though we're not even technically friends_?"

The reminder that they weren't actually friends in the first place stung.

This was the first time they had actually communicated since the impromptu kiss and Quinn felt instantly overwhelmed by the slew of questions.

She didn't know how to answer any of them.

She hadn't yet thought about how she would proceed with Rachel after their little locker room interaction was over.

She didn't know how she was going to try and explain to her that the reason she had been such a bitch in the past was because she was trying to repress her own feelings.

Feelings for _her._

And then there was the possibility of Rachel hating her for all of it and never wanting to speak to her... or kiss her, ever again.

She swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat.

It was all too much.

She opened her mouth to try and formulate some kind of half assed answer that could satisfy the girl until she was able to properly communicate her feelings when they were in some awkward compromising position.

But before she could say anything, she heard voices drifting closer to the part of the locker room that held the row of shower stalls.

"_Today's practice was grueling. Coach Sue must have something up her ass for working us like that._" she heard one of the girls say.

"_Yeah, Q's lucky she got out of it_. _She made Lisa run so many laps that she almost threw up on the water cooler_."

"_Oh please. You know she was totally faking that headache. She's been totally out of it since she got back on the team. I don't know what's she's trying to prove. She's already damaged goods_. _That captain spot should be mine_. ", another one of them, a Sophomore Cheerio named Macey, said as she dropped her bag onto the bench, scoffing lightly.

Quinn couldn't help but growl softly as she listened to her and wanted nothing more than to jump out of the shower and knock some sense into the younger Cheerio. Who the hell did she think she was!? That girl couldn't even do a back handspring to save her damn life!

But she felt a soft hand squeezing her bicep and sighed heavily, looking at Rachel who was just shaking her head and rolling her eyes. "_They don't know what they're talking about, Quinn. They wished they could be as amazing and talented and brave as you are_."

Quinn felt her cheeks turn a soft shade of pink as she smiled shyly and immediately softened up, her anger dissipating at the compliment.

She was about to murmur her thanks when she heard one of the showers turn on and she widened her eyes as one of the girls called out.

"_Hello...? Is anyone here_?" the Cheerio asked, having heard a voice coming from one of the shower stalls.

Quinn could hear footsteps approaching the stall where her and Rachel were hiding out and widened her eyes comically before doing the first thing that came to her mind.

Which was probably stupid but it was the only thing she could think of that could get them out of this without being discovered.

She held a finger over her lips, motioning to Rachel to be quiet and to remain still before she scrambled to her feet.

After a split second of hesitation, she stripped.

Completely.

She didn't even think about the fact that she was undressing in front of Rachel. (Although she supposed it was only fair since the girl had been naked in front of her for the past twenty minutes.)

But she didn't think of that.

She was just trying to execute the plan that had come into her mind before they were discovered by one or more of the Cheerios.

So she quickly shed her Cheerios top and skirt, kicking them behind her so they landed in a pile beside her small brunette companion.

Next went her spanks and her red bra, which joined the pile of clothes behind her.

She tried not to let herself blush too much as she felt Rachel's eyes on her, making her feel extremely self conscious because this was the first time that the girl would be seeing her in such a... vulnerable state.

But there was no time to think of that or even look the girl in the eyes.

Because as a pale hand curled around the shower curtain, ready to pull it open, Quinn reached behind her and turned on the water, resisting a squeal as she felt a cold spray against her back before quickly popping her head out of the curtain with an innocent smile and soft pink cheeks.

"_It's just me_.", she said breathlessly, holding the curtain close to shield her body as well as Rachel as she stared at a group of wide eyed Cheerios who were all looking at her with various degrees of shock because they had just been talking about her in a not so nice manner.

They were probably all fearing for their lives.

The tall Cheerio who had been about to pull the curtain open (and ultimately find the two girls), widened her eyes and took a step back. "_Oh shit, um.. Sorry Q. We didn't know you were in here._" she muttered, rubbing the back of her neck like she had just been caught doing something wrong.

Quinn narrowed her eyes at her slightly and looked at the other Cheerios, who were all somewhat blushing and trying not to look at her as some got undressed to take a shower while others freshened up by the sink while brushing their hair and reapplying their makeup.

She couldn't help but wonder what else had they said about her when she wasn't listening?

"_Oh yeah, sorry. I just got in here_." she lied, shivering lightly as the cold water continued to pour against her back, making goosebumps rise on her skin.

She should have turned the stupid knob the right way before turning it on.

Although, after what had just happened... She _was_ kind of in need of a good cold shower to wash away the dirty thoughts she had while making out with Rachel.

_Hey, you went to second base with her. That's something to celebrate, you stud. _Her inner voice chimed happily.

She hadn't realized that she had zoned out and stopped talking until she heard one of the girls clear her throat while they all looked at her expectantly.

"_Oh right, um... I went to the nurse because of my headache_." Another lie. "_She gave me some aspirin and I decided that a nice shower might help. I read that somewhere_." She said with an innocent grin.

As a few girls got into the neighboring stalls and the others just carried on with what they were doing, feeling too awkward for having been talking behind the blonde's back without knowing she was actually there and fearing that she might have heard, Quinn looked around and realized that Santana and Brittany were out of sight.

She momentarily thanked God that they were probably off making out with each other somewhere or doing some of Sue's bidding because she might be able to fool the Cheerios, but Santana's keen senses would have immediately known that something was up.

And that would have been a nightmare.

When she was sure that she sounded convincing enough for the rest of the squad, she finally retreated back into the shower, closing the curtain the rest of the way before she turned the shower knob to the left, sighing in relief when hot water began washing over her instead.

She then suddenly remembered about the other presence in the shower stall with her and slowly looked down to see Rachel watching her, swallowing hard as she flashed the girl a timid smile.

"_Well that went well.",_ she said softly with a nervous laugh to her tone, knowing that this time she wouldn't be heard over the sound of the water hitting the tiles and the Cheerios chattering while they got dressed.

* * *

Rachel had to admit she had been a bit frustrated when Quinn wouldn't answer her questions.

She could see the slight fear and discomfort in the blonde's eyes but she couldn't help it.

She had to know what was going to happen after all of this was over. After she had gotten dressed and they were no longer in the safety of the locker room, where no one else could see them or judge them.

Quinn hadn't given her a proper answer and it annoyed her.

But she supposed there were more pressing matters at hand.

Like the fact that they were no longer alone and they could be found out at any moment.

By the Cheerios, no less.

It was a recipe for disaster waiting to happen.

She held her breath and absently nestled closer to the blonde (mainly for warmth) as she heard the female voices drift closer to their hideout before frowning deeply as she caught on to what they were saying.

They were talking about Quinn, and not in a positive light.

She felt anger begin to boil up inside of her and a sudden protectiveness for the blonde overcome her.

_They can't speak about my girl like that! _

Wait, what? My girl? _She's not mine. We're not even friends. _

_You kissed. _

_She touched your boobs for crying out loud!_

She momentarily blushed at her own thoughts before she noticed that she wasn't the only one getting upset by the remarks coming from the Cheerios. Quinn had that frown that usually meant she was about to partake in a verbal smack down.

But knowing that that would just lead to them getting discovered in the shower together without any reasonable explanation, she tried to calm the girl with quiet reassurances and gentle touches.

And it seemed to work, because she could see Quinn visibly soften in front of her.

Until...

"_Hello... Is anyone in here_?", she heard a Cheerio ask as she approached their stalls.

Her brown orbs widened in fear, but before she could say or do anything, the blonde was up and was doing something she never thought she would witness in a million years.

She was stripping.

Completely.

In front of her!

Now that was definitely enough to shut her up.

She watched as the cheerleader removed her uniform as well as her undergarments and tossed them all into a small pile of mainly reds that landed right beside the brunette who was still huddled on the ground.

But she didn't even notice where the clothes had went.

Because before her was a 5'6 completely nude goddess named Quinn Fabray and she couldn't help but stare.

Or more like gawk.

Yes, she might have fantasized about this once or twice in her dreams, but...

Naked Quinn in person was so much better.

She was sure that her eyes had darkened a few shades as she stared at the expanse of smooth, pale skin, the gentle curves, her long legs...

It was a shame that Quinn had her back to her so she couldn't see her breasts but...

Her ass certainly made up for what she couldn't see.

It was glorious.

She gulped lightly, licking her suddenly dry lips.

Before she knew what was happening, Quinn had turned the shower on and she had to stifle a gasp as she was splashed with cold water while Quinn popped her head out of the shower curtain to try and convince the Cheerios that she was trying some pain relieving method by taking a hot shower instead of well, you know...

Being totally naked with someone who was supposed to be her nemesis, aka Rachel Berry.

She didn't even care that she had to remain huddled in a corner for the Cheerios not to see her or that Quinn had accidentally turned on the cold water by accident and they were probably both going to get pneumonia. (So worth it)

Because the view from where she was sitting was _marvelous._

And well, it was definitely good fuel for some of her fantasies. (Not that she'd ever admit that to Quinn.)

She held her breath while Quinn talked, unable to keep her eyes off of the blonde's... assets.

When the cheerleaders seemed to believe her slightly ridiculous reason for being in the shower, she let out a breath of relief before snapping her eyes up when she realized that Quinn had stepped back into the shower.

_She probably caught you staring, pervert. _

She blushed bright red as she looked up at her with a shy smile and tried to act as if they weren't currently both naked and wet in the shower together.

It really was too much for her brain to handle and she felt like it might short circuit soon if she kept staring at Quinn's beautiful naked body.

And the wonderfully perky breasts that were now gracing her view.

She gulped and slowly got to her feet as Quinn kept staring at her, feeling her heart begin to thump in her chest like it had right before Quinn had kissed her nearly twenty some minutes ago.

"_I guess i'm gonna have to shower now._..",she heard the blonde say in a low, raspy tone.

They were both staring at each other now, admiring the other's body.

Quinn took a step forward and Rachel swallowed hard, taking a step back until her back was against the wall, much like it had been earlier.

Complete with the same gasp as she rested against the cold tiles.

"_You'll probably need this then._..", the brunette murmured softly, her eyes locked on their hazel counterparts as she slowly held up the bottle of strawberry shampoo with a timid smile.

Quinn's darkening eyes gazed at the bottle and she couldn't help but chuckle lowly, shaking her head in amusement as she closed the distance between them so their bare bodies were pressed against one another, drawing a sharp breath from them both.

She gently tucked a strand of chestnut colored locks behind Rachel's ear and flipped the cap on the shampoo bottle, shuddering lightly as she breathed in that sweet scent. Rachel's scent.

"_Lather me up, Strawberry Shortcake_.", she grinned.

* * *

xxx

So they didn't get caught. Phew. ;)

But Quinn's genius idea got Rachel to see her naked!

Next chapter, they finally get to escape the locker room. And Rachel gets to put on some clothes.

But worry not, they'll come back off in an upcoming chapter.

Will the long awaited 'talk' happen in the next chapter? Stay tuned to find out. ;)

P.S: I almost didn't post tonight because i'm sick with the flu. So be kind and review to cheer me up.

P.P.S: Any of you guys artists? I'd love some sweet cover art for this story. :D

xxx


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer**: All original Glee characters belong to the creators!

I'm not dead guys, it's just been a really, really busy and stressful week. Sorry about that.

But i'm back!

* * *

There are a lot of things that Rachel Berry would not expect to happen in this world.

But showering in the same small shower cubicle as Quinn Fabray?

That would definitely take the cake.

Her day had started out normal enough.

Slushy. Class. Slushy. Another class.

Nothing that didn't happen on a daily basis.

But it was after her third slushy that the day had taken a turn...for the best.

At least, that's how she saw it.

Instead of following through with her usual routine of taking her small bag of toiletries to the bathroom and washing her hair in the small sink as she so often did, she decided that a nice hot shower would do the trick to get the sticky purple syrup out of her hair.

It started off innocently.

She was showering and Quinn happened to walk into the locker room. They chatted for a couple of minutes until the blonde offered to go get her some clean clothes, a rare gesture that the brunette wasn't about to turn down.

Then there was the incident where Quinn accidentally saw her naked.

And now here she was.

In said shower.

Naked.

Wet. (In all ways imaginable.)

And pressed against the cold tiles with an equally naked and wet Quinn Fabray standing in front of her with the sexiest smirk she had ever seen.

It was a lot to take in.

Did she mention that they were no longer alone in the locker room?

Unfortunately, their rather impromptu and steamy makeout session from a few minutes ago had been interrupted by the Cheerios, fresh off the field from practice.

Now they were both hiding behind the flimsy white curtain, trying to make the least amount of noise that they possibly could, while they waited for the Cheerios to leave again.

Fortunately, her blonde companion had popped her head out a moment ago and had convinced the stunned Cheerios that she was taking a shower to relieve a headache.

She did not mention the fact that she was sharing said shower with none other than Rachel Berry.

"Rachel...", she heard a low, husky voice calling her name, which immediately brought her out of her thoughts.

She suddenly remembered that Quinn's goddess like body and womanly curves were pressed against her, while she herself was holding her bottle of strawberry shampoo.

The hot water was cascading over them both, but Rachel couldn't help but shiver as a jolt of arousal ran down her spine, directly to her core.

She gulped.

She had seen many scenes like these in plenty erotic films of Sapphic nature, which she had secretly watched a handful of times as a way to... educate herself.

But unlike the movies, this was all too real.

"Rachel?",the angelic voice called again and the brunette cleared her throat, looking up at the blonde with a timid smile as she uncapped the bottle of shampoo.

"Sorry. I was just... thinking of something." she murmured softly as she poured a small dollop of the shampoo into her palm. She had already washed her hair. But now it was Quinn's turn, and the blonde had requested some help.

"What are you thinking about? Me naked?", the blonde wondered curiously, a small smirk playing on her perfect pouty pink lips. The very lips she had had the good fortune of kissing just a few minutes ago.

She still couldn't get over the fact that Quinn Fabray had kissed her.

And touched her.

And...

"No.", she lied, although her face betrayed her by turning a dark shade of pink.

"I was just...Thinking about this.", she said as she gestured between them before slowly reaching up, biting her lip as she began to lather up Quinn's hair. "How I never expected to be in this kind of situation with you."

She watched as the blonde inhaled sharply and closed her eyes, tilting her head back into her small hands. She absently scratched at her scalp and was delightedly surprised when the action earned her a soft purr from Quinn's lips.

"I never thought this would happen either.", came in a quiet whisper from the taller girl.

They had yet to talk about all of this. About the kiss. About being naked together in the shower. About the possibility of feelings between them.

But that would have to wait until they were in a more private setting, because there was still the chance that they would be discovered together if they didn't keep quiet.

And although it hurt, she knew that Quinn wouldn't allow that to happen to her precious reputation. But she understood.

So she just kept lathering up Quinn's soft blonde locks, relishing in the feeling of the pale, perky breasts so gently pressed against their own. She wasn't permitting herself to look anywhere else just yet, for fear that it would just intensify her already throbbing arousal.

"Do you think they're going to leave soon?",she asked softly, her voice barely carrying above the sound of the running water as well as the Cheerios' gossiping.

She smiled softly as she felt a pair of hands on her hips, long narrow fingers tracing over the skin covering her hipbones as the blonde shrugged lightly.

"They're cheerleaders, Rachel. It might take a while.", she chuckled lowly as she glanced up at her, hazel orbs finally anchoring onto deep chocolate.

She could tell that Quinn's heart was beating as fast as her own. That all of this was new and scary and somewhat disbelieving for her too.

"But I really want to kiss you right now.", she pouted softly, inhaling sharply as she felt blunt nails graze over her abdomen, her stomach muscles quivering as she slowly switched their positions so she could rinse the shampoo out of Quinn's hair.

As the soap began to rinse out of golden locks, a small smile appeared on those pink lips and those gentle hands made their way to her lower back, gently bringing her even closer so their bodies were completely flush against one another.

She could feel _everything._

"Nothing's stopping you from kissing me. As long as you don't make any noise."

And that was enough for Rachel Berry.

She would take this chance and kiss the daylights out of Quinn Fabray before they were forced to go back to reality and face the impending 'talk', where everything could potentially fall apart or grow into something even better.

But for now, cheerleaders be damned. She was going to claim that mouth again and taste the minty freshness that was Quinn Fabray.

And so she did.

* * *

Quinn let out a low moan as she felt those plump lips connect to hers in a surprisingly powerful kiss.

It had been too long.

Okay, so it had barely been ten minutes.

But ten minutes was too long for her to go without Rachel's kisses. She was already addicted to them, and she would take as many as she could in case this was her last chance to kiss the petite brunette.

Although she hoped that that wasn't the case.

She instantly swiped her tongue over Rachel's bottom lip and reveled in the soft whimper she received as she tasted the brunette's delightful strawberry flavored lip gloss.

"Shh, Rach. They'll hear you.", she warned against parted lips that were chasing after her own. But Rachel was anything but quiet, even when she needed to be, so the blonde tried to stifle Rachel's moans with her mouth.

It wasn't long before the kiss became heated and she completely forgot about rinsing out her hair. Although she was sure that the water constantly pouring over them had done the job.

Honestly, she didn't care.

She'd leave the locker room with soapy strawberry scented hair if it meant getting to kiss Rachel for a few more minutes.

She grinned as she felt a pair of small arms wrapping around her neck and gently bit down on Rachel's bottom lip and tugged, which was probably a bad idea because the action caused a loud groan to leave Rachel's mouth.

_Fuck._

"Hey Q? Are you okay in there?",she heard one of the Cheerios call out in a slightly worried tone, approaching the shower curtain.

Both girls froze for a moment, their soapy, slippery bodies pressed against one another while their lips ached for each other after being momentarily separated.

Quinn could see Rachel's throat bobbing as the girl swallowed heavily, a brief moment of panic flashing in her eyes.

Quinn licked her lips and cleared her throat so her already building arousal wouldn't be evident in her voice.

"I-I'm fine.",she called out quietly, cursing herself for the stutter in her voice. "I just, uh... Dropped my bottle of shampoo on my foot. Hurts like a bitch.",she lied, stifling a whine when she felt Rachel's warm lips kiss a trail up her neck.

She shot the girl a halfhearted glare which only earned her a light chuckle.

This so wasn't the time.

"Oh. That sucks. Careful, Q. Wouldn't want you to be out for the next couple of practices!",the girl replied and Quinn couldn't help but narrow her eyes because she just knew that that's exactly what her fellow cheerleaders would want.

A Quinn-less practice.

She growled lowly but was immediately soothed by a gentle kiss and sighed heavily, shaking her head as she pulled Rachel close once again. "I can't wait until they fucking leave.", the blonde growled against her favorite pair of lips.

Rachel simply rolled her eyes and brushed some damp strands of hair behind Quinn's ears before she recaptured her lips in a gentle kiss, trying her best not to let out any loud noises this time so they wouldn't be interrupted by another close call.

Quinn's hands couldn't help but wander as they resumed their kiss, tongues gently dueling with one another while her hands slowly slipped from Rachel's lower back, straight down to the pair of soft globes that made up Rachel Berry's amazing ass.

Usually when a boy had put his hands on her ass, she had slapped them away and promptly ended their make out session.

Back then, she had been called a prude and used the excuse that inappropriate touching would make God unhappy and send both she and her then boyfriend straight to hell.

Now she knew it was because she was so very, very gay.

But just in case Rachel decided that her hands were unwelcome, she experimentally gave a small squeeze and waited to gauge her reaction.

Her reward was a soft gasp (probably out of surprise),followed by a quiet moan, which Quinn immediately silenced with a kiss as she smirked slightly, slowly continuing to palm the tanned flesh.

In return, a pair of small hands were now travelling up her stomach and she waited in anticipation as she felt delicate fingers brush past her rib cage, causing a shiver to run down her spine, before those warm hands cautiously enveloped her breasts.

"_Oh._",she breathed out as she arched into the touch, trying her very best to hold back the aroused moan that threatened to bubble up from the back of her throat.

She had never let anyone touch her bare breasts.

Not even Puck when they had...

She didn't let him.

And now here Rachel was, tentatively squeezing them while brushing her palms over her nipples, which were stiff because of the combination of hot water, cold air and her steadily increasing arousal.

And it felt amazing.

They were groping at each other like a pair of needy horndogs, but they obviously didn't care one bit.

They also didn't care that they were doing so in the school locker room while a dozen cheerleaders were only a few feet away.

Quinn's hands squeezed hard as she swallowed Rachel's throaty moan.

Rachel's fingers pinched and tugged while capturing Quinn's quiet whimper.

They were so eager that their kisses were rapidly becoming sloppy.

All tongues and teeth and gentle bites.

And right as Quinn's hand decided to sneak its way down to explore the valley of Rachel's soft thighs.

The worst thing imaginable happened.

They weren't suddenly discovered by the Cheerios, no.

But the water did abruptly turn cold...

* * *

Their loud squeals resonated against the tiled walls as they both pulled away from each other, and away from the icy cold spray of water.

Both gasping for air and from the fact that they had just been doused in freezing water.

Effectively putting a damper on their...activities.

Cold showers did wonders to kill arousal.

"Oh my god.", Rachel breathed out as she shook and shivered, wrapping her arms around herself as she tried to regain the warmth she had suddenly lost.

But not Quinn.

Quinn was frozen in place, eyes wide in fear that they had just alerted the Cheerios of what was going on in the shower, and who she was showering with.

Her heart was hammering loudly in her chest as she held her breath and waited.

Waited for someone to pull back the curtain. To discover them together.

To run and tell the whole school that Quinn Fabray and Rachel Berry were hooking up in the locker room.

But all she heard was silence.

And that made her brows crease into a small frown.

She glanced at Rachel before taking a small step forward.

"Hello...?", she called out loudly, slowly reaching for the shower curtain.

No answer.

She pulled back the curtain and rose her brows in surprise.

The locker room was completely deserted. Not a Cheerio in sight. No makeup bags, or hair dryers. No pompoms or tennis shoes.

Nothing.

The only thing in sight, that she was eternally grateful for, was a stack of fresh white towels.

"I guess we were so busy that we didn't hear them leave.", came the small voice from behind her and she looked over her shoulder to see Rachel looking up at her, lip caught between her teeth in a way that was completely adorable.

But also sexy.

Because, you know, she was naked and all.

They both were.

She swallowed thickly as the events of the past ten minutes quickly replayed in her mind and felt her cheeks turn the same shade as her cheerleading uniform.

Which, she noticed, was currently laying in a crumpled, soaking wet pile in the corner of the shower cubicle.

Wonderful.

All she could think about was that in the last hour, she had rounded two bases with Rachel Berry.

Her mind had reached maximum capacity, because that was a lot to handle.

"We should, um... get dressed. I think you've had enough of shower time for today. And I don't know about you, but... I'm freezing.",she chuckled lowly as she stepped out of the shower and quickly scurried over to the pile of towels and grabbed one for herself, as well as one for Rachel.

When she turned around, she saw that the brunette had also stepped out of the shower and was lightly shivering as she waited for her towel.

Quinn's heart began to race again as she handed her the towel, watching as the brunette wrapped it around her beautiful naked body, effectively covering up all the glorious features Quinn had had the privilege to touch while in the shower.

But now it was over.

And stepping out of the shower was like stepping out of an alternate universe back into the reality that was their everyday lives.

But they couldn't pretend that what just happened was nothing but a fantasy.

As much as Quinn would like to forget about the real world for as long as possible and continue to discover whom she would now deem at the eighth wonder of the world, behind the safety of the white curtain, they couldn't avoid what was coming.

The big talk.

And that scared the shit out of her.

She knew she wasn't ready for it. Maybe she would never be ready. To tell Rachel about her screwed up past, her hidden feelings, her motives. Everything she had been repressing ever since she had laid eyes on Rachel Berry.

She was also terrified to find out what the brunette had to say in return. Did she like her? Did she go along with the kiss just for fun? Was she going to walk out of here and forget all of this ever happened?

God, she felt like she was going to pass out.

Maybe she really _should_ go to the nurse's office.

"Quinn, are you okay? You're looking a little pale.",the brunette said worriedly as she stared at her, taking a step closer.

Quinn was looking around frantically while she willed her brain to start functioning properly again.

She cleared her throat and picked up the fallen clothes that were still on the ground. The ones she had gone to the storage room to get for Rachel but that the girl had never put on because Quinn had so spontaneously tackled her into a kiss.

"I'm fine. Just, um... Processing.", she said softly as she handed her the clothes.

Rachel kept staring at her, worried that the blonde would either freak out or worse, run away from her.

But Quinn did neither. Because she truly was trying to process everything that had happened, and until she did that, she would remain quiet.

* * *

The next few minutes passed in silence.

Rachel slowly got dressed in the sweatpants and tanktop, all the while watching Quinn with a concerned expression because she had no way of telling what the blonde would do next, or how everything would proceed from that point on.

There was no way everything would just go back to normal... right?

Quinn got dressed as well.

After putting her soaked uniform in a plastic bag, she took out her spare that she kept in her locker just in case and quickly put it on.

She then combed through her damp hair and splashed some cold water on her face to calm herself from the impending panic attack she felt like she was going to have.

"You can do this...",she whispered to herself as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. She may be terrified, but there was no way she was going back to the old Quinn Fabray. The scared girl in the closet who would take out her feelings on Rachel Berry by ordering slushies on her and calling her names.

She was not regressing back to that. No way in hell.

"You can do this.",she said again, trying to build her confidence even though some parts of her were telling her to run and never look back.

"Do what, Quinn?", Rachel said from behind her, having heard her talking to herself.

_Great. She'll think i'm insane for doing that again. _

The blonde took a deep breath and ran a hand through her hair before turning around to face the brunette.

She was at a loss for words for a moment because Rachel looked so damn gorgeous in Cheerios clothes.

She raked her gaze over the small girl's body and absently licked her lips before she cleared her throat and met her eyes, seeing worry and a bit of fear.

And it broke her damn heart.

Rachel thought she was going to run too.

"Rachel, we have to talk.",she said softly, gnawing nervously on her bottom lip.

She watched as the singer inhaled sharply and gave a small nod, their gazes still intensely locked.

"Where?",she asked quietly, knowing that this was something they couldn't do while still at school. They needed to go somewhere private, where they could have a long, honest talk and get out everything that had both been hiding over the years.

Quinn's lips then curved into the smallest of smiles as she grabbed her car keys out of her locker and took a step forward, letting herself take a hold of Rachel's hand for a brief moment.

"We already missed class, so...How about I show you my favorite spot in the whole world?"

"Can we talk there?"

"We can talk as long as you want, Rach."

And with that, they left the locker room behind.

Their temporary safe haven, where they had shared an intimate moment for the first time.

Now they were off to have a much needed talk.

And Quinn would show Rachel her favorite hiding place.

Then maybe, just maybe, when it was all said and done... she'd get to taste that sweet strawberry gloss one more time.

Here's to hoping.

* * *

xxx

Hope you guys don't hate me for disappearing for a week. I had a lot of stuff on my plate.

Also, you may have noticed that I stopped writing my speaking parts in italics. Someone commented on my other fic and said that was annoying or something.

I was writing it how I preferred it but oh well. No more italics from now on.

Please be kind and leave a few reviews!

They finally left the locker room and now they're heading to Quinn's special place to have the talk. Can anyone guess where that is?

New chapter up soon, I promise. Also, for those who are following 'A Table for Two is Where You'll Run Into Your Past', new chapter up tomorrow!

Thanks for the continuing support!

xxx


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer**: Original Glee characters belong to the creators!

And i'm back! Homework overload this week. Enjoy!

* * *

As soon as the door to the locker room had closed behind them, Rachel was on guard.

Despite almost being caught naked with Quinn by the Cheerios, she had felt safe in the locker room.

Mainly because there were no slushie wielding jocks.

But now they were out in the hallway and her eyes kept darting around the corridor, as if one of the gorilla like football or hockey players would jump out at any moment, holding a jumbo sized cup full of icy sticky liquid.

The simple thought of it made her shudder as she imagined the cold liquid dripping down her front like it had three times already that day.

A slushy is what had started it all.

But now that she thought about it, if it weren't for the slushy she wouldn't have kissed Quinn Fabray in the first place.

If it weren't for the slushy, they'd still be what they had always been.

Nothing.

Now... now at least she had a chance at something.

Depending on how the talk went.

She was a bit hesitant on skipping her last class, because she knew it would alter her perfect attendance record.

But she wanted to hear what Quinn had to say.

And she had quite a lot to say herself.

So she let the blonde gently tug her out the nearest exit door.

Her belongings still in her locker.

She could always come back for those later.

There were more important matters at hand for the moment.

Like finding out what had led Quinn to kiss her.

* * *

Quinn saw the way Rachel was nervously looking around when they exited the locker room and sighed softly.

She knew what Rachel was looking for, and the fact that she was scared of being slushied yet again made her heart ache guiltily.

After all, she had started the slushies.

The first time Rachel had come too close to her and she had felt the now familiar fire burning inside of her.

She had seen a jock holding a cherry slushy and before she knew what had come out of her mouth, she had ordered him to toss it at the small brunette.

She could still remember her surprised gasp and the small whimper that left her mouth as she was drenched in the freezing drink.

It had killed her inside.

But soon it had become a daily thing, all because of her and her damn feelings.

She made a mental note to try and stop the slushy attacks as soon as she could.

Even if she didn't hold that much power over the students of McKinley anymore.

It wouldn't hurt to try.

Before Rachel could panic too much about getting slushied again or freak out for missing class, she gently grabbed the brunette by the elbow (not the hand, she still wasn't brave enough to do that yet) and quickly lead her out one of the side doors before anyone could actually notice them together.

"If someone asks about you missing class, I'll tell them that you got sick and I drove you home. Don't worry. And I'll talk to Figgins. He owes me a favor. I'll make sure he doesn't change your perfect attendance record." she said softly as she led her around the side of the school towards the parking lot.

The soft sigh of relief as well as the genuine grateful smile that she got from the girl made her insides flutter lightly and she had to look away to hide the small grin on her lips.

It wasn't much but the fact that her words had made Rachel smile, instead of the usual tears or frown, made her feel great.

And she knew that from then on, she'd try to get only smiles out of the girl.

This one was a small step towards progress.

After all, she was working on a new Quinn.

A Quinn that was nice to Rachel Berry, instead of the cruel coward she had been almost every day before this one.

Her red VW bug was parked nearby and she was quick to walk around to the passenger's side so she could open the door for Rachel, giving her a sweet smile.

Which fell a little when the girl looked at her skeptically.

She knew what Rachel was thinking.

She was scared because this was Quinn Fabray's car. Her former bully's car.

"Rachel, I'm not going to kidnap you or something. We're going to go somewhere and talk, just like I said. Just... can you please trust me?",she said as she looked down at her, hurt momentarily flashing in her bright hazel hues at the fact that the brunette might not trust her yet.

But it's not like she could blame her, right?

After all the crap she had put Rachel through, she'd hesitate to get into a car with herself too.

She watched the shorter girl intently for a moment, holding the door open with her hand as she waited for her to either get in or change her mind.

But finally the brunette let out a soft sigh and looked up at the blonde with the kind of smile that made Quinn's heart flip.

"I'm sorry. I do trust you, Quinn. I guess I'm still getting used to this side of you." She murmured softly.

And with that, she slipped into the passenger's seat and Quinn closed the door.

The blonde walked behind the car to get to the driver's side so Rachel didn't see her temporarily freaking out or jumping from foot to foot as an attempt to calm herself.

Rachel Berry was in her car, and she had promised to take her to her favorite spot so they could finally have...

The talk.

She gulped just at the thought of it.

But she knew that it was long overdue.

They should have had the talk the moment she had kissed her for the first time in the locker room, right when the sweet smell of strawberries had unleashed a fire inside of her that she decided not to tame for once.

But they had gotten carried away after the kiss and instead of talking, they had kissed some more.

And then there was some touching...

And quite a bit of nudity.

Not to mention the part where the Cheerios had made an appearance.

Then there was some more making out, followed by an impromptu shower for the blonde.

And now they were here.

When Quinn had woken up that morning, she would have never expected any of that to happen.

Actually, all of those things had only happened in the very deep corners of her mind as well as a handful of dreams.

_Very naughty dreams. _

She realized that she had been jumping around behind her car for the past minute and that Rachel would soon wonder what the hell she was waiting for.

So she took a deep breath to calm herself down and smoothed out her skirt before she cleared her throat and casually slid into the driver's seat, flashing the girl an innocent smile.

"Hey.", she said smoothly.

Rachel on the other hand, was looking at her curiously, which caused Quinn's pale cheeks to turn at least three shades darker as she fished out her keys and started the car.

"Sorry. I was just, um... Checking the tires.", she lied.

"For what...?"

"For air." the blonde replied stupidly, giving the girl a shy smile. "I saw this um, documentary on leaky tires. You can never be too careful. Like I always say, safety first!" she chuckled awkwardly.

_Wow you are such an idiot, Fabray. _

_Oh shut up. _

She could see from the corner of her eye that Rachel was smiling at her, but something told her that that was the 'I think you're kind of insane so I'm just going to smile and nod and hope you don't kill me' kind of smile.

Which only caused Quinn to blush even deeper and bang her head on the wheel out of frustration.

Which sounded the horn, and caused Rachel to jump in her seat.

_Great. _

"Quinn, are you okay? You seem kind of... distressed." Said the voice beside her, laced with concern.

Quinn sighed heavily as she straightened up and put the car into reverse, slowly pulling out of her parking spot.

She nodded slightly and flashed her a timid smile before looking into her rear view mirror.

The last thing she needed right now was to smash into someone's car.

She was already under enough stress.

"I'm fine, Rachel. I'm just... I'm nervous." she admitted quietly.

"About what?" Rachel asked curiously as she buckled her seatbelt, something she had momentarily forgotten to do because she was worried about Quinn acting strangely.

_You better buckle up too, dummy. What happened to 'safety first'?_

Right.

She quickly buckled up as well before fully pulling out of the parking lot and onto the main road.

"About what's going to be happening in fifteen minutes.", she murmured softly as she turned left, which led them away from the direction of the suburbs and the general direction of downtown and its many installations.

She wanted to take them to the place she knew they wouldn't be interrupted.

* * *

Rachel quirked an eyebrow at the direction that Quinn was taking, but chose not to comment on it.

After all, the blonde said she was taking her to her favorite spot, and Rachel trusted her with that.

Instead, she focused on what the cheerleader had just said.

"You're nervous about our talk?", she asked softly as she reached over and turned on the radio, setting it on a low volume as a soft rock ballad filtered out through the speakers.

She figured that some additional noise in the car would help to soothe Quinn's apparent nerves.

She saw the girl's hands tighten on the wheel as she nodded slowly, her eyes never leaving the road, as if she was afraid to look at her.

With a sigh, she reached a small hand across the console and set it gently on Quinn's thigh, shaking her head when it caused the blonde to tense a little.

"Quinn, it's going to be fine. I promise. I don't know what you're so scared of. I mean, we already kissed and... stuff.",she murmured quietly, her cheeks heating up at the vivid memory that flashed in her mind.

Quinn's perfect lips.

Quinn's tongue.

Her bare breasts pressing firmly against her own under the pouring hot water as they-

_Focus, Rachel! _

She swallowed thickly and gave Quinn's thigh a gentle squeeze, watching the way the girl's throat bobbed before she slowly pulled her hand away.

"Quinn, why do I get the impression that your silence is a cover for your internal freaking out?" She asked softly without taking her eyes off of her.

Quinn blinked slowly and took a deep breath, waiting until she had taken a turn on a dirt road a couple of miles from school until she spoke again.

"I'm afraid that after I tell you... After I tell you everything...A-After I explain...",she stuttered before swallowing the lump in her throat. "I'm afraid you're going to hate me, Rachel. Y-You're going to hate me and can't let that happen. Not..N-Not after what we just did together."

Quinn's voice cracked.

And at the same time, Rachel's heart nearly broke into a million pieces.

So that's why Quinn was so fidgety and nervous.

She was afraid that whatever she had to say would jeopardize what they had.

Well, they didn't exactly have anything.

Yet.

They had gone from a nonexistent friendship that consisted of name calling and Rachel's pathetic attempts at winning Quinn's friendship, to a hot, steamy make out session in the girl's locker room.

A hot, steamy, _naked_ make out session.

"Quinn...",she began softly as she watched the blonde drive her small red car down the dirt road, the sun being shielded by tall, leafy trees.

She resisted the urge to reach out and touch her again, for fear that Quinn would tense up like she had done earlier.

Instead, she settled for absently toying with the mini pom-poms that hung from Quinn's rear view mirror to occupy her hands.

"I'm going to promise you right now, that no matter what happens or what you say when we have our talk... I'm not going to hate you. I've never hated you, ever. And I'm certainly not going to start now. So you can stop worrying. You're gripping the steering wheel so tight that it's making your knuckles white and I haven't seen you breathe in the last two minutes.", she frowned slightly as she watched her.

"Please relax." She murmured softly, looking up at her worriedly.

Another minute passed on the bumpy dirt road.

Rachel didn't bother to ask where they were going, or to point out that this was how most scary movies started.

She just wanted to get Quinn to relax.

And finally, after a few more seconds of gripping onto the wheel for dear life, Quinn finally released a deep breath and loosened her grip, licking her lips as she nodded slowly.

She seemed relieved, like Rachel's words had reassured her that she wasn't about to lose the brunette before she even got her.

"Thank you." Quinn said quietly, turning her head to give her a small, timid smile. Like she was embarrassed for freaking out.

Rachel simply returned her smile and reached over to gently pat her hand before finally turning in her seat to face the road again, just in time to notice that they were arriving at a clearing in the path that was filled with trees and bushes.

"Quinn, where are we?" she asked softly as the blonde stopped the car in the middle of the clearing and cut the engine.

She had never been here before and if she was being honest, she was a bit nervous.

One year ago, Rachel Berry would have never even dared to enter the woods alone with Quinn Fabray, for fear of being tied up and left for dead by the blonde who seemed to take pleasure in torturing her.

But now she reminded herself once again that Quinn had shown signs that she had,and wanted to, change for the better.

And she trusted this new Quinn.

She just had to tell herself to stop freaking out.

The blonde simply smiled at her before reaching behind the driver's seat, rummaging around for a moment before pulling out a fleece blanket from the backseat.

Which made Rachel raise her brows curiously because that meant that they probably weren't staying in the car.

"I discovered this place a few years ago, when we first moved to Lima.", she said softly as she got out of the car and quickly walked around so she could open Rachel's door for her.

"My parents had gotten into a fight.", she said before rolling her eyes at the statement. "Which wasn't really anything new. Anyway, I left the house because I didn't want to hear them screaming at each other anymore, or to see my dad emptying another bottle of scotch. So I grabbed my bike and I just left. I wasn't really familiar with Lima yet, so I got lost on what I thought was a bike path. Then I ended up finding this place. It's quiet, and no one ever seems to come here. So I've been coming here ever since." she murmured softly, blushing as she shared a piece of her past while holding her hand out for the girl.

Rachel unbuckled her seatbelt and looked up at Quinn with a sad smile. She knew that the Fabrays didn't have the picture perfect family life that everyone assumed they had. She had heard stories about Russell Fabray's drunken antics. But she had never really heard Quinn talking about it out loud, and it made her heart ache for the blonde.

"It's beautiful, Quinn." She said quietly as she unbuckled her seat belt and took Quinn's hand with a shy smile, slipping out of the car and closing the door behind her.

* * *

Quinn looked down at her with a small smile and squeezed her hand before letting it go, although she desperately wanted to hold on to it.

She didn't know if that was allowed or not.

"I haven't showed you the best part yet." She said as her smile slowly stretched wider.

And with that, she was leading Rachel down a narrower path that began on the far side of the clearing, leaving the car behind as they entered a more dense part of the forest.

She could feel Rachel's tiny hand clench the back of her uniform, as if she was scared, and couldn't help the grin that appeared on her lips.

For some reason, it made her ego inflate a little at the fact that Rachel was clutching onto her to keep her safe from the... big bad tree monsters?

Yeah, that sounded right.

_Or maybe she's afraid of bears, you idiot. Or things that actually live in the forest instead of tree monsters!_

Right.

That made more sense.

_Dork._

Either way, Rachel was holding on to her and Quinn was smirking happily.

"Don't worry, Rach. We're almost there. And fear not,I got you." She winked playfully, putting a hand on her lower back as she led her through the clearing.

She didn't miss the way Rachel's tanned cheeks turned a soft shade of pink or how she ducked her head shyly when she put her hand on her back.

So far, things were setting up nicely for Quinn to be able to reveal everything to Rachel without things going horribly wrong.

Well, at least she hoped so.

She couldn't take her eyes off the petite brunette as they walked, but luckily Rachel was too busy looking at her feet and making sure she didn't trip and break her nose to actually notice that Quinn was staring at her like she was way more important than her safety.

Honestly, she'd trip over branches and smash her face into the mud for Rachel Berry any day.

It was only when she heard the girl gasp softly a few minutes later that she knew they had arrived at their final destination.

The place where their long awaited talk would take place.

The talk that could possibly make or break any future she had with Rachel.

Where she would reveal to her why she had acted so cruel in the past.

They were now standing on a small beach that overlooked a gorgeous small lake located in the middle of the forest.

This was her favorite spot in the entire world.

Her sanctuary.

And Rachel's reaction was priceless.

The brunette was smiling in awe at the beautiful scenery, while Quinn took the moment to spread out the blanket on the soft sand beside her.

"This is the most beautiful place I've ever been too, Quinn." , she heard Rachel murmur quietly as she took it all in.

The area around the lake was spotless, no trash in sight.

There were also colorful wild flowers growing in the lush green areas that weren't filled with golden sand.

Quinn grinned up at her and gently tugged on her hand, gesturing for her to sit down on the blanket with her so they could watch the water.

"Well, I figured that I'd put at least one good memory in your head in case everything else goes horribly wrong and you never want to talk to me again." she muttered as she sat down, her legs stretched out in front of her.

Rachel scoffed lightly at her words and rolled her eyes, smoothing out the Cheerios t-shirt she was wearing before she took a seat beside the blonde, leaving a bit of space between them.

"Quinn, for the second time, nothing you're about to say is going to make me never want to speak to you again. I promise." She reassured her.

The private lake, the beach, the blanket in the sand... It was all incredibly romantic.

And they weren't even dating.

In fact, there hadn't even been no formal admittance of feelings on either part yet.

But that's what they were here for. Right?

For the next few minutes, they sat in silence.

Neither one of them knew who should start first.

After all, they both had something to say.

Quinn wasn't the only one who needed to voice how she was feeling, because obviously Rachel was feeling something too since she had kissed her back and...

_Touched her. _

But since Quinn had been the one to start it all by initiating the kiss in the first place, it was only fair for her to be the first to start.

Besides, her side of the story might just be the most complex one.

So after taking a few calming breaths and convincing herself that everything was going to be okay no matter what, she turned to Rachel and hesitantly reached over, one pale and covering a small tanned one.

_Here goes nothing. _

"Rachel." , she began softly to get the girl's attention.

The brunette had been distracted for a moment, watching a small family of ducks happily swimming along the shore of the lake.

But as soon as she had uttered her name, chocolate colored eyes locked onto hazel and she felt her heart do a somersault in her chest, like it did every single time Rachel looked at her.

For a moment, she forgot how to breathe and her brain was doing that short circuiting thing that it did when she had kissed the brunette, or saw her naked, or breathed in her heavenly signature scent.

"Rachel." She repeated again, as a way to stall as she gathered her words in her mind and licked her suddenly dry lips before swallowing the lump in her throat.

Rachel was looking up at her intently, waiting for her to say something.

Anything.

"I kissed you in the locker room."

_Way to state the obvious, Fabray. _

"B-But...I don't want you to think that I did that for fun. Or because I've gone off the deep end. O-Or because I was just trying to... experiment or something."

_Just tell her already, dammit! _

She sighed heavily and looked down at their joined hands.

Rachel was still watching her, eager for her to finally spit out what she wanted to say.

"Remember... remember all of those times that I was cruel to you? Those times I called you names, or slushied you, o-or told you to stay the hell away from me?"

She heard Rachel's sad sigh and it pained her inside.

She didn't need to look up to know that the girl was nodding. It's not like she could ever forget an entire year of torture.

"Back then, I was sure that I did it because I hated you. But then... then I realized that I didn't have any reason to hate were always good to me. I was just trying to make myself hate you. B-Because-..."

"Because why, Quinn?" Rachel asked softly, squeezing her hand in a reassuring manner that told her it was okay to go on.

_Oh god._

Quinn could already feel tears stinging her eyes, so she kept her gaze firmly on the blanket, so Rachel wouldn't notice.

"Because every damn time you came near me, all I could smell was that damn shampoo of yours and it smelled so good and you were always smiling and being sweet and twirling around in those short skirts that you wear, and... and... and all I wanted to do was kiss you!", she murmured in a tone so low that it almost got lost in the sound of the wind ruffling the leaves on the trees nearby.

She heard a gasp and she had to close her eyes, unable to look at Rachel's face.

But also to keep her tears from escaping.

This was the first time that she was admitting this to someone other than herself.

And it was the hardest thing she had ever done. (After giving up her daughter.)

She was just grateful that Rachel had chosen to keep quiet and let her finish before asking any questions.

"You know how my family is, Rachel. I know you know. They're strict and... religious. And wanting to kiss you every single time you were within two feet of me scared the shit out of me because I was raised thinking that wanting to kiss you...Wanting to kiss any girl, was wrong."

This time it was a sad sigh that came out of the brunette and she had to resist the urge to just clam up and stop talking, because even saying those things out loud was hard enough.

But she knew that for her well being, and if she wanted any kind of relationship with Rachel, whether it be a friendship or something more than that, she had to keep going.

Drawing in a shaky breath, she cleared her throat before pressing on.

"I-I want you to know that I never meant all the things I did to you. All the names I called you, all the slushies I ordered on you. All the times that I made your life miserable over and over again... It was never because of you, Rachel. Nothing was ever, _ever _your fault. I promise that and I want you to believe it. You are by far the sweetest, most perfect girl I have ever met. There was never anything wrong with you and I'm so, s-so sorry that I ever made you think otherwise."

A sob echoed through the warm afternoon air, but it didn't come from Rachel.

It came from Quinn herself.

The unbearable guilt of everything she had done in the past had finally made her break down and before she could stop it, tears were rolling down her cheeks.

In an instant, she felt a pair of small arms wrapping themselves around her midsection and she inhaled sharply because the last thing she expected right now was for Rachel to want to hold her.

But she did.

She held her tightly against her and soothingly stroked her back, silently urging her to continue before her sobs became too much.

The blonde sniffled softly and wiped at her eyes, her heart beating faster just at the fact that Rachel was holding her.

One year ago, she would have shoved her away and spewed out any derogatory insult that had come to mind.

But now? Now she needed this comfort if she ever wanted to finish her side of the story without crying her eyes out through the entire thing.

She took a deep, calming breath and hesitantly rested her head on Rachel's shoulder.

"I want you to know that everything I did was because I was in denial. I was repressed and I was scared. I-I thought that... I thought that if I was mean to you, and if I pushed you away, that it would make everything go away. That I wouldn't be having those thoughts anymore. I focused all my rage on you because you were the first, and the only, girl to make me feel things that went against everything I was taught to believe in."she murmured softly.

She could be imagining things, but she swore she could feel Rachel smiling at that as the brunette gently pressed her cheek on top of the blonde's head while she held her close.

"I didn't want to admit it then, but I was in the closet. And I think I've been there for a long, long time. I just didn't want to acknowledge it because I knew what my parents would do if they found out that I had these... thoughts. About a girl. About you."

She cringed just at the thought of going home and telling her parents that she liked girls.

She could practically hear the yelling, the cracking of her dad's belt, the smashing of a glass bottle.

And her father's face as he set the thirty minute timer for her to pack her things and get out, much like he had done when she told them she was pregnant.

For a long minute, there was silence from both of them.

Quinn was trying to figure out what to say next, and she figured that Rachel was trying to process all of this.

"What made you finally realize all of this? I mean, when did you...admit it to yourself?" Rachel asked quietly after enough time had gone by.

Quinn sniffled softly and looked up at the brunette.

There were still tears rolling down her cheeks and her hazel eyes were red and puffy.

She was still terrified, and nervous.

But she was smiling at her.

A soft, gentle smile.

"Today. I woke up this morning and thought that it was going to be just another day. But then Cheerios practice went completely wrong so I hid in the locker room. Then I found you there, and...a-and I felt those feelings again. Those 'I just want to kiss the daylights out of Rachel Berry' feelings.", she admitted quietly, her cheeks turning a soft shade of pink.

"But for some reason, I didn't push my feelings away this time. I didn't lash out at you, or call you names. I didn't run away like my mind was telling me to do. I followed my heart for the first time in my 17 years on this stupid planet; I followed my heart and did what it wanted me to do."

"And your heart told you to push me into the shower and kiss me?" The brunette asked, a hint of amusement in her tone.

Quinn laughed nervously and bit her lip as she nodded a little, feeling her cheeks deepen in color even more.

"Every time I'm near you and I breathe you in, it's like you're flicking a switch inside of me. My mind fills up with thoughts of you and I can feel a fire burning inside of me. That's when I usually put a damper on the fire by being mean to you. But today... Today I couldn't do that anymore. I was tired of being the sad, repressed and in denial Quinn Fabray. I knew that there was a chance that you would slap me or push me away. Or that you would run and tell everyone that I kissed you. But I just had to take a chance. I had to kiss you."

"And you did. You kissed me."

"I did.", the blonde said softly, a small smile appearing on her lips as her mind replayed the first moment their lips had connected. "And you kissed me back, and it was the best thing that ever happened to me."

"That's when you accepted it?"

Quinn hummed softly and slowly shook her head, causing Rachel's brows to quirk up in surprise.

"No. I think I accepted everything... I mean, my sexuality and my... feelings for you, when I was in the locker room getting your clothes. I had a mini panic attack and that's why I took so long, because everything was finally coming together. Like the pieces of a puzzle. I was finally understanding and accepting my motives for hurting you in the past. "

"So what happened when you kissed me?" Rachel wondered curiously, absently running her fingers through soft blonde locks.

There was a pause, and then Quinn smiled.

"The moment I kissed you for the first time was the moment that I stopped caring about all the potential consequences that could happen when my parents and everyone else find out because kissing you and tasting your sweet lips is worth it if my parents decide to send me to live on a cow farm 800 miles away."

Quinn saw the way Rachel's face was lighting up at her words and she felt an immense weight being lifted off her shoulders.

Yes, there was probably more that she should have added.

Like a million more apologies.

But for now, that's all she could say.

Because before she could even open her mouth to continue, she felt the warm pressure of those strawberry flavored lips she had recently become addicted to.

Rachel was kissing her.

For what reason? She had no idea.

But sitting on the beach with her, in front of a beautiful lake, in the middle of the woods, she knew that the rest of their talk could wait a minute or two.

Besides, she still had to hear how Rachel felt about her.

So it was safe to say they'd be here a while.

A kiss or two wouldn't hurt.

And she had finally admitted to Rachel Berry the reason behind everything she had done the previous year.

She liked to think that she deserved that kiss.

* * *

xxx

So next chapter: Rachel talks about her feelings, Quinn talks about hers a bit more. And Rachel brings up the subject of why Quinn slept with Puck in the first place.

Should be interesting.

Please review, it makes me smile.

I should have a new chapter up sometime this weekend or Monday. It's not like I have a Valentines Day date.

As for those of you reading a table for two, I know I promised a new chapter for like, yesterday.

But I had internet troubles and then I decided that I didn't like what I wrote, so i'm in the process of rewriting the new chapter.

Should be up tonight. (It's currently 3 am on the 13th so by tonight, I mean the evening of the 13th.)

I don't really know how much longer this fanfic is going to be, but I know exactly how it's going to end.

And spoiler alert, the last chapter is set after high school. ;)

Stay tuned!

xxx


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer**: Original characters belong to the glee creators!

Oh. My. God. This was such a pain in the ass to post. The website wouldn't let me post anything. I was going insane.

* * *

The only thing that Rachel could think of doing when Quinn had finally stopped apologizing and explaining herself was kiss her.

And kiss her she did.

The blonde had spent the last few minutes sobbing in her arms as she spoke apology after apology, expressing how guilty she felt for everything she had done in the past.

Kissing her probably wasn't the best of ideas right now, since her emotions were so raw and she had just opened up on a topic she had been burying deep inside of her, or deep inside the proverbial closet, for the past couple of years.

Her feelings.

For _her. _

_Quinn Fabray had feelings for her. _

So she really couldn't help but kiss her.

Besides, the setting was just so perfect. Quinn had brought her to her secret spot, and just that fact alone had warmed her heart. The blonde cared enough about her to bring her to the one place nobody else knew about. The place where she could come to think and relax.

She had brought her here and revealed the answers to the reason behind all of her past actions.

And she had done so in front of a gorgeous lake on a small, private, sandy beach.

It was almost like a scene out of a movie.

She sighed quietly against Quinn's lips, moving her hand to the back of her neck as she kissed her tenderly.

They should really be continuing their talk. After all, she herself had a lot to say as well.

But for a moment, she just wanted to let Quinn know that everything was okay, and that everything would remain okay from now on.

Earlier on, she saw how nervous the girl had been at the prospect of them talking things out and it had just about broken her heart.

What _had _broken her heart, however, was seeing Quinn in tears.

Now that had been just brutal.

Yes, she had seen Quinn shed some tears when she had been pregnant.

But nothing like this.

She had never seen the blonde full on sobbing and breaking down right in front of her.

It had nearly brought her to tears herself.

So she hadn't hesitated to wrap her arms securely around the girl and soothingly rub her back, helping her coax out everything she had left to say before she could simply relax and let herself be held by the brunette.

She could tell that Quinn had been incredibly relieved when she had finished telling her side of things and Rachel hadn't stormed off or slapped her.

Or something of the sort.

Honestly, hearing Quinn verbally express her feelings and why she had acted so cruel towards her over the years, had simply helped everything slide into place.

It all made so much sense now.

Why Quinn always seemed worked up around her. How she lashed out when she got too close. How she had given her such masculine nicknames like 'Manhands' or 'Treasure Trail', as if trying to de-feminize her to make herself feel better.

It definitely made sense.

And she couldn't even bring herself to be mad at the blonde.

In fact, she had never really been mad at her if she was being honest with herself.

Even back then.

She had been hurt, yes. Confused, a hell of a lot.

But never mad.

Because even as Quinn spewed those insults at her and tried over and over again to push her away and out of her life, Rachel couldn't help but notice how the cheerleader's eyes seemed to betray her.

Where her face was stone cold and her words were harsh and cruel, her eyes retained their warmth as they stared down at her, as if to tell her that she was sorry and that she didn't mean any of this. That she couldn't help it and she was ashamed of what she was doing.

She knew she hadn't just hallucinated those perfect hazel eyes, swimming with pain and remorse every time she so much as ordered a slushie on her or called her Rupaul.

Rachel had always wanted to see the best in people, and she knew that with Quinn, it would pay off someday.

And seeing the good in Quinn was one of the reasons why she kept on coming back. Why she kept on trying to break through to her, to gain her friendship, because she wanted a chance at breaking down those high concrete walls the girl had built around her.

She knew that under all that armor, there was a sweet, misunderstood and possibly frightened girl just waiting to be let out and cared for.

And she was right.

That kiss in the locker room had opened the floodgates.

It had shown her an all new side of Quinn that she had been waiting to see since the day she had met the blonde.

They say that everything happened for a reason.

And Rachel was starting to believe that she was supposed to get slushied that day. That Quinn was supposed to leave midway through her Cheerios practice and that they were supposed to meet in the locker room under peculiar circumstances.

Her in the shower and Quinn talking to her from the other side of the thin, white, plastic curtain.

They were supposed to suddenly find themselves kissing and then make out in the shower, almost getting caught by the entire cheerleading squad.

They were supposed to explore each other's bodies while their mouths got acquainted as they sat under the hot spray of the shower until it was starting to run cold.

It was fate.

Because all of that is what gave Quinn the last little push she needed to be open with her and honest about the feelings she had been secretly harboring.

Well, that and the fact that the blonde seemed to have an odd fascination with her shampoo.

Which definitely worked in her favor because it seemed like being close to the blonde and allowing her to breathe in the sweet strawberry scent is what had set off the fiery lust inside of her that she had so readily displayed when she had suddenly pushed her inside the shower stall.

She was already having flashbacks to that very moment, replaying it over and over again and sending shivers to the very core of her body as she remembered how Quinn hadn't hesitated to push herself against her naked body and kiss her like Rachel's lips held the key to solving every enigma in the world.

It had been utterly blissful, once she had gotten over the initial surprise that Quinn Fabray was kissing her like her life depended on it. Once she had accepted that she wasn't actually dreaming, she had kissed back with as much gusto as the blonde had demonstrated.

One thing had lead to another and after almost getting caught, followed by a rather angst filled drive to a secluded spot in the middle of the woods, here they were.

Kissing again.

But this kiss was different. It was meant to soothe.

She realized that she had been stuck in her own head for the past few minutes and that Quinn was now lying down on the blanket, with the brunette half lying on top of her.

It was a good thing that Quinn had brought the blanket, because they would both be full of sand by now.

Quinn's lips were soft and tender and she couldn't help but smile as they shared sweet kisses, knowing that they hadn't finished talking yet, but both of them wanting to hold on for a minute longer.

Everything was so quiet. It was like there was no one else left in the world but them.

But then the need for air became too much.

And the moment was over.

* * *

She couldn't help but smile at the soft whimper that Quinn emitted as she slowly pulled away, absently licking her lips and tasting the blonde's minty chapstick mixed with the flavor of her own strawberry gloss.

She took a moment to collect herself before she opened her eyes and looked down at the blonde, who was already staring up at her, her chest slowly heaving as she caught her breath.

It felt like they had been kissing for hours.

"What was that for?" Quinn asked softly as she leaned up on her elbows, referring to the kiss.

Rachel felt her cheeks turn a soft shade of pink, like the kind you would find in a sunset, and ducked her head with a shy smile as she shrugged.

"It was… for a lot of things. But mainly, it was to thank you for being so brave and opening up to me about your feelings. I know it must have been extremely hard on you and I want you to know that I am incredibly proud of you for doing so. It takes courage to say those things when you've been raised to believe that what you feel isn't right. But it feels so much better to get everything off of your chest, doesn't it?"

Quinn nodded slowly as she sat up fully, running a hand through her now messy blonde locks, trying to tame them a bit.

"Honestly, it feels like the biggest weight has been lifted off of my shoulders.",she admitted quietly. "I never in a million years thought that I would get this chance. The chance to finally stop hiding, to put aside my fears and my doubts and finally tell you how I feel. I know I should have told you before kissing you in the locker room, because we kind of did things in the wrong order, but I've never felt so relieved before. Thank you for listening to me. And thank you for not leaving.",she said softly, giving the brunette a small, grateful smile.

Rachel reached over and gently squeezed the blonde's hand before she loosely laced their fingers together.

Something as simple as holding Quinn's hand made her heart flutter happily in her chest.

"I told you before, Quinn. No matter what you had to tell me, I wasn't going anywhere. I care about you, more than I care about a lot of things. You're special to me, Quinn Fabray. You don't have to have that fear that I'm just going to get up and leave. I understand why you did everything that you did, and I forgive you. I've always forgiven you."

For a moment, there was silence and all that could be heard was the swishing of the water as a breeze passed through the forest, ruffling the leaves on the tall trees as it whistled along.

Then Quinn looked up at Rachel through her lashes and bit her lip shyly, her thumb running over the smaller girl's knuckles.

"I'm special to you?" she asked in a voice so small and hopeful that it made Rachel's heart skip a beat.

Those gorgeous hazel orbs were looking at her intently and Rachel couldn't help the wide smile that spread on her lips as she leaned over and pressed a kiss to the blonde's pale cheek, watching as it instantly turned pink under her lips.

"Quinn Fabray, I think you're the most special girl in the world. And I mean that.",she murmured softly as she gave her hand another squeeze.

The beaming smile that broke out onto Quinn's lips and the way her eyes completely lit up at her words was probably the most beautiful thing Rachel had ever seen.

She hadn't said much, or so she thought, but Quinn looked so incredibly happy in that moment.

"No one's ever called me special before, Rachel. I just…It means a lot to me. Especially coming from you. Because in my eyes, _you're_ the most special girl in the world."

This time, it was Rachel's face that was lighting up like the Fourth of July as she felt that familiar fluttering in her heart and grinned like she had just won the lottery.

God, it was so hard resisting the urge to just pin Quinn down onto the blanket again and kiss her until she forget that her name was Quinn Fabray and what planet they were currently on.

But there was something else she needed to do first.

Quinn had been brave enough to open up to her and discuss her feelings.

Now it was her turn.

Even though her side of things would be far less emotional, because she didn't have to deal with strict, religious parents or the backlash from their social pyramid (she was at the bottom, anyway), she still owed it to Quinn to tell her how she felt, and how she came to feel this way.

All the words she wanted to say were jumbled up in her mind and she didn't really know what she should say first. So as she tried to compose her opening line, she leaned in and pressed one last kiss to Quinn's perfect pink lips before she shifted so she was sitting in front of the blonde.

She wanted to be able to look her in the eyes as she spoke, finding it more effective than sitting beside her.

She took a deep breath and reached over, taking both of Quinn's hands as the girl looked up at her expectantly.

"Ever since I first laid eyes on you on the first day of school, I instantly thought that you were the prettiest girl I've ever met. For a minute I even thought that I was in the wrong place because there was no way that I was going to school with a goddess.", she said softly.

It was incredibly cheesy, but oh so true. And she couldn't help how her lips curved into a small smile when she noticed how her words were making Quinn's face flush.

She chuckled softly before she continued, wanting to get everything out in the open as soon as possible.

"From that moment on, I knew that I wanted to get to know you. I don't know what it was, but something about you just… sparked something inside of me. I had never been attracted to a girl before, and it was all new to me and kind of scary…But that didn't matter. I wanted to do everything just so I could get near you and talk to you. It's like I was drawn to you."

She paused for a moment and licked her lips, clearing her throat as she looked down at their hands.

"For the longest time, I was too scared to say hi to you. I kept rehearsing in my head how I would do it. I'd start with a compliment, then an introduction, and possibly invite you to have lunch with me. That was my plan, but it took me almost a month to gather up the courage to come up to you."

She swallowed hard, looking over at the lake.

"The day that I had finally decided to go over to you, you were standing at your locker. You had just gotten on the Cheerios, and you were standing there in your perfectly pressed outfit. You looked so beautiful…",she murmured in awe as she remembered the sight.

"You had a few of your new friends around you. All Cheerios. But I decided to go over anyway, because you seemed so nice and you were always smiling. I thought that maybe I had a shot and then-…"

She could see a pained expression crossing Quinn's face as the blonde closed her eyes for a moment and squeezed her hands tightly.

They both knew what had happened next.

That was the very first time that Quinn had been mean to her. It had been the start of a long year of slushies, nicknames and torture.

A cheerful Rachel Berry had gone up to the pretty blonde cheerleader, happily greeting her and complimenting her attire, just like she had planned. But before she could even get to steps two and three, she found herself covered in a sticky, ice cold liquid while a snarky remark was spat at her.

She had nightmares about that day for weeks on end.

And now she could see that Quinn was overcome with guilt again just at the thought of it.

"Quinn. Sweetie… It's okay. I promise. Like I said… I forgive you. For everything. You don't have to feel guilty anymore. You have a reason for your actions. I know that you were scared and you wanted to push me away. It's okay.",she cooed softly as she cupped her cheeks, staring at her until she saw the blonde open her eyes and sigh softly, giving her the barest hint of a smile paired with a small nod.

Rachel smiled sweetly at her before she pulled her hand away and continued.

"That didn't stop me, though. As you know. I never stopped trying, and even as you kept… you know, I never gave up hope that someday I would break through to you. A part of me was telling me to just give up. To think about how much easier my life would be if I just stopped being so persistent with you. I knew that if I kept my distance and stopped approaching you every day like some kind of masochistic idiot, that I wouldn't have to keep bringing two changes of clothes to school in case I got slushied. But the other part of me… the bigger part… That part was telling me not to stop. That part was telling me that under all of the armor and the layers and the solid walls, it was telling me that Quinn Fabray was a good person, deep down. It was telling me that you were worth pursuing, despite the consequences. I had developed these… feelings for you. The moment I saw you. Your beauty is what had sparked my interest. But I really started falling for you when I began to notice how incredibly smart you are. How witty, and determined and passionate. How graceful you looked when you walked down the hall, always well put together and poised. You had more ambition than anyone I had ever met. All of those things made me fall for the pretty blonde cheerleader. Even if she acted as if she hated my guts.",she said, a grin tugging at her lips.

Quinn was grinning too. But mostly blushing. Because no one had ever complimented her like that before.

Come to think about it, the only person who had ever told her these kinds of things was Rachel.

It was always Rachel.

* * *

The brunette watched her for a moment before she continued, toying with the blonde's fingers.

"By the end of the year, you were dating Finn and I was kind of crushed. But I didn't give up my hope, even if that one part of me that kept telling me that it was completely useless. I kept trying to get your attention, and I envied Finn because he got to kiss you and hold your hand and do all the things I wanted to do.",she frowned deeply.

"So why did you try to go after him then?" Quinn asked suddenly with a small frown, somewhat confused at Rachel's words.

Rachel felt her cheeks turn bright red and she looked away from the blonde, staring at a nearby shrub like it was the most fascinating thing in the world.

"I…I figured that if I couldn't have you, I didn't want Finn to have you either.",she admitted softly, ashamed of herself. "Even though I thought back then that you would never return my feelings, I was extremely jealous. So my genius plan was to take him away from you. But that just made you hate me even more.",she frowned deeply. How stupid had she been back then?

There was a moment of silence before a soft stream of melodically sounding laughter came from the blonde and Rachel turned her head to look at her, quirking a brow curiously.

Quinn shook her head in amusement and leaned forward, tucking a strand of hair behind Rachel's ear before caressing her cheek tenderly.

"Rachel, I didn't hate you more. I never hated you, I told you that. I was mad, yes. But not really at you. You see...I think I had the same idea in mind, now that I think about it. I couldn't have you, and the thought of someone like Finn getting you instead made my blood boil. At first I thought it was because I liked him, but now I know that it's because I liked _you._"

Rachel raised her brows in surprise at that, and then she couldn't help but laugh as well.

All this time she thought that Quinn had been mad at her for having stolen her boyfriend, but the fact of the matter was Quinn was mad because Finn had her. And she secretly wanted her.

Again, everything was making perfect sense now.

This whole day had been some kind of awakening, really.

"Well. That makes sense.",she murmured after a moment, biting her lip. "Anyway, Finn was nice, but… He wasn't you, and there was no way in hell that Finn Hudson would be able to replace the feelings I had developed for you. But I tried. Believe me, I tried. I thought that if I spent enough time with him, that my feelings for you would go away and that I would stop getting myself into these situations that got me slushied every day."

There was a scoff from Quinn and Rachel watched as the blonde rolled her eyes, shaking her head with a small frown.

"Finn was never good enough for you, anyway. He's a doofus. You need someone better. Someone who can actual hold an intellectual conversation. "

Rachel couldn't help but smirk then, ducking her head to catch Quinn's gaze.

"Someone like you?",she asked curiously, watching as Quinn blushed and looked away from her.

"Maybe.",she mumbled and Rachel chuckled before she continued.

"Finn was never who I really wanted. Trust me. I might have been after him, but I kept looking at you, and honestly, I probably looked like a lost puppy. So I decided to stop pursuing him. It was useless."

Rachel didn't want to get into everything that had to do with Quinn's pregnancy. She knew that it was a touchy subject for the blonde and she didn't want to talk about everything that had went on with her and Finn and how much she had longed to help the blonde. She had even wanted to offer the girl to stay at her home, but she knew that back then, Quinn would have refused. Seeing Quinn so vulnerable during her pregnancy had been hard on her because all she wanted to do was hold the blonde and caress her while telling her that everything would be okay. But she couldn't, and that hurt because she was seeing someone she cared immensely about struggling, and she couldn't even do anything about it.

It was torture.

And then there was the nagging thought in her mind that Quinn had slept with Noah, even though she had been feeling those…not so heterosexual feelings. She wanted to ask about that, because it was something that hadn't been brought up yet. But again, it was a touchy subject and knowing what Quinn had spent the past twenty minutes telling her, she had the sickening thought that Quinn had slept with Noah because she wanted to make her feelings go away. The feelings she thought were wrong.

The feelings for _her._

That thought alone made her head hurt.

So she decided not to mention any of that. They didn't need to bring up that part of their past.

What was important is that Quinn now knew that she had had feelings for her from day one, and those feelings were what made her keep trying over and over again to befriend her and get close to her.

She wanted the blonde to be able to make sense of her side of things too.

And now everything was out in the open, and it was a lot to take in.

Quinn had feelings for her.

She had feelings for Quinn.

They had kissed more times in one day than Rachel could have ever expected.

And now they were free to take the knowledge of each other's feelings and do whatever they wanted to.

She had been harboring feelings for Quinn Fabray, the pretty blonde cheerleader, from the moment she had seen her walking down the hallway in an adorable sundress and now that she had been able to tell her exactly that, she now knew what Quinn had meant when she said that she felt a weight lifted off her shoulders.

Even if her weight was obviously a lot smaller.

It felt great.

They had no more secrets, nothing to hide from each other anymore.

And now they only had room to grow.

Together or not. Depending on where they would decide to take things after this point.

For the next few minutes, everything was quiet and all they could hear was the breeze again.

She moved so she was sitting next to the blonde again, facing the lake and watching the water as she gave her time to process everything she had said.

She knew that Quinn would be relieved at the fact that she hadn't been alone in hiding feelings for a long time.

And Rachel was just happy that she didn't have to pretend that she liked the quarterback instead of the head cheerleader anymore.

Because the head cheerleader was infinitely better.

Yes. She still believed that this whole day was a result of fate.

That a single kiss could trigger something that could change their lives forever.

And it had. Because there was no way that they could go back to their old lives after telling each other all of these things. There was no way that they could pretend that they weren't crazy about each other. All of this wasn't for nothing.

At least, she hoped it wasn't.

She watched the water ripple, lost in thought until she felt a warm, pale hand slide into her own again and lace their fingers together.

She looked up, and saw Quinn smiling down at her, her eyes full of warmth and happiness.

They were no longer filled with pain and fear.

And it made her heart soar in her chest.

"Rach, you know how I said that we were doing everything out of order?",she asked after a moment, leaning in close.

"Yeah?" The brunette said curiously as she reached up and pushed some hair out of Quinn's face.

Quinn's smile widened and she couldn't help but press a kiss to Rachel's temple.

"Well, we already kissed. We did, um…stuff together. We talked about our feelings. I think all that's left to do is…"

"What?"

"Rachel Berry, will you please do me the honor of going on a date with me?", Quinn asked quietly, her tone laced with hope as she stared at the brunette intently, waiting for her reaction.

Although, she had a feeling she already knew what her answer would be.

Screw the order of things. They were going to do this their way. And heck, maybe things would work out for them.

After all, when it came to Rachel and Quinn, they were anything but conventional.

* * *

xxx

I've been trying to post this chapter for like two days and this damn site wouldn't let me.

I know i'm late with updates, but I've just been lacking motivation lately. I'll try to update table for two tomorrow. Bear with me, it's been a rough couple of weeks.

Anyway, we have a date! How will that go?

Please be kind and review! And if you haven't already, check out the first chapter of my new fic, Paradise City!

xxx


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer**: Original Glee characters belong to the creators!

So something not so good happened last week...which is why I haven't updated any of my stories.

But i'm back, I think...

* * *

_The following day... _

To say that Quinn was a nervous wreck was the understatement of the century.

She was five minutes away from having a panic attack.

Why?

Because the previous day, she had done something that she never would have expected to do in a million years.

She had mustered up the courage and asked Rachel Berry on a date.

A _date_ date.

As in, the romantic kind.

And the craziest part?

Rachel had said yes!

She had a date with Rachel.

That night, at 7 o'clock.

Hence the nervous part.

It had all started the previous day.

Actually, it was probably one of the best, yet strangest, days of Quinn's life.

All thanks to some stupid jocks and their habit of slushying Rachel countless times a day.

They had both found themselves in the locker room at the same time. Rachel wanting to get cleaned off and Quinn trying to escape her fellow Cheerios who were giving her a hard time at practice.

It had started out as innocent. They talked while Rachel was in the shower, both girls on the opposite sides of the white plastic shower curtain.

But then Quinn had been put under the spell of Rachel's sweet smelling strawberry shampoo, the kind that made her knees go weak and her heart flutter.

And that's when things began to happen.

One thing lead to another, and before she knew it she had made out with the brunette in the very same shower cubicle she had just occupied.

But a few heated kisses (and touches) hadn't been the end of things, no.

There was also the part where Quinn had to admit her feelings for Rachel. The feelings she had been secretly harboring for the girl ever since she had met her.

To her delight, Rachel had reciprocated those feelings and Quinn had never been so happy in her whole life.

She had also never felt so relieved either, because yesterday could have gone in a completely different direction that could have potentially ended with Quinn mending a broken heart.

But just like a dream, everything had gone perfectly well, which had lead her to shyly ask the brunette on a date, something that had only happened in her wildest dreams.

They had agreed on the next day, neither of them wanting to wait any longer to spend time with each other again.

And since Quinn had been the one to ask, she was in charge of planning the date.

Which is one of the reasons why she was currently a big ball of nerves.

She had never taken a girl out on a date before, much less plan one!

She had spent the entire day at school brainstorming for ideas that would constitute the perfect first date. She wanted things to be absolutely amazing if she ever wanted Rachel to continue seeing her.

Wait, were they seeing each other now?

Or was that something that would only be determined if their first date was a hit?

She'd have to ask Rachel.

During the school day, everything had went as it normally would.

Well, sort of.

They didn't spend time together (apart from Glee) or kissed each other in the halls (she wasn't exactly ready for that yet, and besides, she wanted to wait for the date to kiss her again).

But some things were different.

For one, nobody slushied Rachel that day.

She made damn sure of that, even going as far as threatening some of the jocks with blackmail if they ever so much as looked at a big gulp cup.

Also, the two girls couldn't stop stealing glances at each other.

All the time.

In the halls, in class, in Glee club.

Every time she looked at Rachel, Rachel was already looking at her.

She'd flash her a shy smile, then blush and look away.

Then it would happen again. And again, and again.

It was clear that now that things were out in the open (well, between the two of them), they were completely smitten.

Except no one else knew, of course.

Which is why they didn't actually hang out or talk much that day, so not to draw suspicion to them.

She might have accepted her feelings and come to terms with the whole being gay thing, but it didn't mean that she was ready to shout it from the rooftops.

Which is why planning a date with Rachel would be hard.

Dates usually happened in public places.

Quinn was in her own little world all day, trying to plan the date. She wasn't really paying attention to anything else, spending the majority of her time writing down date ideas in her spiral notebook.

No one really noticed.

Except, of course, for Santana and Brittany, who had been watching the blonde curiously all day.

* * *

"Okay blondie, what the hell is going on with you today?", the Latina said as Quinn looked up, seeing the dark haired girl leaning against her car in the parking lot after school.

"Yeah, San and I saw you bumping into a trash can earlier...and then apologizing to it. Even _I've_ never done that.", Brittany added from beside her shorter counterpart.

Quinn hugged her bag to her chest and felt her cheeks turn bright pink as she bit her lip shyly. Had she really been that spaced out?

"Um, nothing's going on. I'm just, uh... I'm not feeling well.", she lied as she looked away from them and dug into her bag for her car keys.

She had to get home as quickly as possible so she could start getting ready for her date with Rachel.

The date she was set on making the absolute best first date ever.

She had high hopes.

She noticed Santana rolling her eyes at her but remained quiet as her fellow Cheerio stared her down.

"I don't believe you, Q. You've had this weird glassy look in your eyes today. And you've been walking around like you're floating on a fucking cloud. Not to mention the fact that I saw you grinning to yourself like an idiot in English when you thought no one was paying attention to you. I think our little Quinnie's got a crush.", Santana smirked, wiggling her brows at her.

Hearing this, Quinn's eyes went slightly wide and she fumbled with her keys, dropping them on the ground as her cheeks turned five shades darker.

"W-What? Don't be ridiculous, San.",she huffed softly as she bent down to get her fallen keys, unlocking her car door so she could toss her bag in the back before facing her friends.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Rachel making her way to her own car. The brunette glanced her way and her heart immediately began to flutter. She pretended not to notice, so she wouldn't give herself away.

The last thing she needed was for Santana and Brittany to know she had major,_ major_ feelings for Rachel. She'd never hear the end of it.

Of course she'd tell them eventually. They were her best friends after all. But not now. Not when she was already on edge about the date that was taking place in a few hours.

"I don't have a crush.",she assured them as she walked over to the driver's side, hearing Santana's scoff. "I'm just... Trying to be positive, you know? It's a new year and I'm looking for a fresh start. Sue me for trying to put the nightmare that was last year behind me.",she said with a roll of her eyes as she opened her door.

Santana and Brittany both frowned in unison before they softened, smiling gently at her.

"Well in that case, I'm happy for you, Q.", Brittany murmured softly, reaching over to squeeze her hand. "We miss the old Q. We're glad that we're going to have you back to your normal self soon."

Quinn took a deep breath as she flashed them a small, grateful smile and slid into her seat, starting the ignition.

"You're going to have me back, B. But you're going to have a new Quinn. Things are going to change around here. That I can promise you."

And with that, she closed the car door and was off, leaving her two friends staring at the back of the retreating red car, their brows raised curiously.

"Something's up with her, Britt-Britt. What do you think?", Santana said as she looked over at the tall blonde, who reached down and linked pinkies with her with a small grin.

"I think she's finally figured things out.", the girl said knowingly.

Of course Brittany knew that Quinn was infatuated with a certain small owl sweater wearing brunette. The blonde's intuition was always on point.

* * *

Two hours later, Quinn's nervous pacing was about to wear a hole into the white carpeting of her bedroom.

She only had a bit more than an hour before she had to go pick up Rachel.

At least she had somewhat of an idea of where she was going to take her.

When she had arrived home from school, she had immediately jumped on her laptop to google the nearest restaurant that served vegan food.

There was no way in hell that she was going to bring Rachel to Breadstix.

Not only because the only thing they served that Rachel could eat was soggy salad, but also because Breadstix happened to be Finn's date destination of choice and she was so going to blow his dates out of the water.

It was a critical step in wooing Rachel Berry and sweeping her off of her feet.

To her surprise, she had located a newly established vegan bistro that already had decent reviews.

Sure it was a little out of the way because it was on the edge of town, but Quinn didn't care.

Honestly, she'd drive to the Sahara desert if that's what it took to provide Rachel with a good first date.

Besides, she might be a bit more at ease knowing that they were going somewhere where they probably wouldn't run into many people they knew.

After calling to book a reservation (thankfully they had room for a table for two), she had scribbled down the address before jumping in the shower.

Now, after showering, getting dressed and doing her hair, she was standing in front of her full length mirror wearing a simple knee length light green dress, a color that brought out the hazel in her eyes.

She had curled her hair, loosely, and had applied simple and natural makeup.

In her opinion, she looked nice. She had put a bit more effort into getting ready than she had when she went out with boys.

But that was because she didn't care about the boys, and was head over heels for Rachel.

Duh.

"Do this right Fabray and if you're lucky, she'll want to go on another date with you.",she told her reflection as she applied a coat of lip gloss and rubbed her lips together.

If there was one thing she was thankful for at the moment it's that her parents were out of town for a few days to visit her sister Franny in Columbus, so she didn't have the added stress about having to lie about where she was going.

She didn't think that "Oh I'm just going on a date with Rachel Berry, a girl that I'm crazy about" would go over so well.

Yes, she knew she had to tell them about her whole...not heterosexual situation one day or another.

But that day was definitely not now.

She'd see where things were going with Rachel before dropping a major bomb on them that may or may not have her shipped to work on some farm thousands of miles away.

And with her parents being religious conservatives, well...

Let's just say she would wait a while.

After she had talked herself out of another close call for a panic attack and finished getting ready for her date, she looked at the time and saw that she still had time to kill before she had to pick up Rachel.

So to get her mind off of her nerves and to soothe her jitters, she sat down on her bed with a book.

Although her thoughts kept wandering off to the upcoming date as she wondered how else she could impress Rachel.

She had the restaurant reservation, yes. But there had to be more.

God, she was such an amateur at this.

"I'm gonna have to wing this, aren't I?",she muttered to herself.

* * *

7 blocks away, in the only house on Emery road that sported a white picket fence out front, Rachel Berry was thrumming with excitement as she slipped into a simple black dress.

She had a date.

But not just _any _date.

She had a date with Quinn Fabray.

Cue the squeal.

It was crazy, really.

One day they were barely friends, and then the next day were making out in a high school locker room and admitting the presence of hidden feelings to one another.

And now they were going on a date!

It all still felt like a dream, but her lips lightly tingled every time she thought about Quinn and her gentle, sweet kisses.

Her heart was all a flutter.

That whole day at school, even though they didn't formally talk, they couldn't keep their eyes off of each other, and every time Quinn looked at her, she couldn't help but break out into a wide smile.

She just hoped that no one noticed.

If it was up to her, she'd tell the whole world that she had a date with Quinn Fabray.

But she knew that the blonde wasn't ready for that yet.

And she respected that.

They would take things slow, and what mattered was that she knew about Quinn's feelings.

She'd let the blonde open up about the rest with everyone else when she was ready.

There were only two people whom she had told about her date with Quinn, and that was her fathers.

She kind of had to.

She had walked through the door the night after Quinn had dropped her off following their time at the lake, and she had the biggest face splitting smile on that as soon as they had asked her about it, she had immediately cracked.

It was safe to say that they were both surprised.

Not as much by the fact that their daughter was going on a date with a girl, they had always taught her that sexuality could be fluid.

It was more _who _she had a date with.

Quinn Fabray.

They had heard about the girl's father and his...opinions. And they certainly knew about the times the blonde had been mean to Rachel, so it's safe to say that they were a bit skeptical about letting her go out on a date with the girl, afraid that this was all a ploy to get her hurt.

But Rachel had been quick to explain the events of the day to them. From the slushie delivered by the jocks to the talk they had at the lake (to which they both agreed was actually quite romantic).

She told them about how Quinn had been struggling with her sexuality and her feelings for her, and had used the bullying as a defense mechanism.

She also told them that the blonde had finally come clean about all of that and that she fully understood her reasons and held nothing against her.

Basically, she told them everything.

Well...Minus the fact that they had both been naked in the shower together making out and groping each other.

They really didn't need to hear that their daughter had let the blonde cheerleader go to second base with her.

But she told them the important parts, including how she had also harbored feelings for the blonde as well.

And eventually, they had softened and agreed to let her go on the date, as long as she promised to call them in case anything went wrong.

Which she happily agreed to.

She knew the date was going to be perfect, anyway.

Now Quinn would be on her door step any time now and she couldn't wait.

She hadn't been on many dates in her lifetime, but the ones_ she_ had been on had been nothing spectacular.

Actually, they had set the bar pretty low.

But she had no doubts that Quinn would provide her with a memorable evening.

After all, she had pretty much wooed her already with the whole private lake thing.

It's not like the blonde was under pressure now...right?

* * *

"Oh my god, I'm gonna puke.", Quinn said to herself as she drove to Rachel's house, eyes wide with panic as she realized that this was actually happening.

She was going to have her first date with Rachel Berry, and it wasn't one of her secret fantasies.

Holy hyperventilation Batman!

She actually had to circle around Rachel's block about three times to calm herself down enough to finally go knock on her door.

It was 7:05 by the time she parked in front of the brunette's house.

"Fuck fuck fuck!", she muttered as she hurriedly got out of the car.

She was late.

Okay, it was only five minutes.

But she knew that Rachel was a stickler for punctuation.

She didn't want to have points deducted for arriving late.

She was almost to the front porch when she froze and widened her eyes comically.

Crap. She had been so busy planning a decent date that she had forgotten a key element to first dates.

Flowers! She hadn't gotten Rachel any flowers.

Seriously, she had no idea what she was doing.

Looking around frantically, she bit her lip when she spotted the pink rose bush in the neighbor's front yard.

Tempting. Oh so tempting.

_Don't you dare, Lucy Quinn Fabray!_

Too late.

The blonde was already sneaking (more like running) next door, hoping to God that no one (especially the neighbor), was watching her as she carefully yanked out a single pink rose from the bush before hightailing right back to the Berry's front porch.

Score!

Thinking on her feet came in handy sometimes.

_You're a moron. _

She took the time to smooth down her dress before she skipped up the steps and with a thrumming heart and a nervous smile, she knocked on the front door.

...And then almost died of a heart attack when it was answered by a tall dark man holding a shotgun.

A freaking shotgun!

Her face immediately drained of color as her eyes widened in horror.

"Holy shit.", she breathed out, feeling like she was about to faint.

"You must be Quinn.",the man said with an innocent grin as he slowly reached out a hand for her to shake.

She gulped lightly,her trembling hand moving to shake his.

But before she had time to do so, she heard a familiar huff behind him.

"Daddy, stop it! You're scaring her!", she heard an annoyed Rachel Berry say as she pushed past her father and Quinn immediately sighed in relief, visibly relaxing.

"Oh come on, baby girl. Isn't this what fathers are supposed to do to their daughter's dates to make sure they behave?",he said with a deep chuckle as he set the gun down, ignoring his daughter's glare.

Meanwhile, Quinn's jaw had gone slack because she had finally caught a look at Rachel's attire.

And she was drop dead gorgeous.

In such a manner that made her heart want to jump out of her chest.

"Wow...",she murmured as the smaller girl turned towards her with a shy smile, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Don't mind, daddy. He just wants to look tough but he's actually a big softie.",she rolled her eyes, grabbing her purse from the table in the entry way. "You look beautiful, by the way.",she murmured.

Quinn felt her cheeks turn a soft shade of pink and she ducked her head shyly before holding up the single rose.

_The stolen rose._

_Oh shut up. _

"Thank you. So do you. You look... amazing.",she breathed out in awe.

She looked up through her lashes to see Rachel's cheeks changing in color as well while she beamed and took the flower, careful of the thorns.

"That's so sweet of you, Quinn. Thank you.", the brunette said as she leaned forward to kiss Quinn's cheek.

The blonde inhaled sharply and her knees went weak for a moment before she heard a throat clearing.

"Have her back by eleven thirty please, Miss Fabray. Or you'll meet Rachel's other father when he comes back from his shift at the hospital and he's a lot more scarier than I am.",he said but there was a smile threatening to break out on his face.

He was joking.

But Quinn still gulped in fear and nodded vigorously.

"Y-Yes, sir.", she stuttered out before she held her hand out to Rachel, smiling shyly at her.

"Ready?"

"Ready.",the girl said as she took her hand and squeezed gently.

And with that, they were off.

* * *

It was about ten minutes into the drive when Rachel stopped fiddling with the dial on the radio and looked up at Quinn with a curious smile, watching the blonde drive out and away from their neighborhood.

"You know, you still haven't told me where we we're going. And judging by the direction you're driving in, I don't think it's Breadstix." Rachel chuckled lowly, finally settling on a top 40 station.

Quinn crinkled her nose up and shook her head, taking a left turn.

"Definitely not Breadstix. I want you to actually be able to eat on this date, Rachel. And the only vegan thing Breadstix has is practically bunny food.",she muttered.

Rachel's brows rose in surprise.

"Wait, you actually found a vegan restaurant?",she asked excitedly, unable to contain her smile.

Quinn simply grinned and looked over at the brunette, giving her a wink before she continued driving, the sound of Rachel softly singing along to an old Adele song filling the car and making her heart tingle.

Rachel's voice always did that.

It was another twenty or so minutes before she pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant and looked over at Rachel, who still couldn't stop smiling at the fact that Quinn had actually taken her somewhere vegan.

The place was called _The Green House. _

"So, how many brownie points do I have already?", Quinn asked teasingly as she got out of the car and walked around to open Rachel's door, playfully smirking at the girl.

Rachel chuckled lowly, taking Quinn's hand as she slipped out of the car, grinning widely at her. "Like a million. This is perfect, Quinn. I never thought anyone would do this for me...",she said as she squeezed her hand gently.

Quinn was totally happy dancing inside of her head right now.

_Score, score. Double score! _

The date had barely started and she had already done a major thing right.

Her nerves were slowly slipping away.

With a happy smile, the blonde led Rachel into the restaurant and couldn't help but grin at the brunette's reaction as they were led to their seats.

The place was perfect. Just the right size, with soft lightning and gorgeous fairy lights strung up on the ceiling. Gentle music playing in the background.

She just wished they were old enough to order a bottle of wine.

It would make things ever better.

"Quinn, I seriously can't tell you enough how happy I am that you found this place.", Rachel said as she sat down after Quinn pulled out her chair for her.

Honestly, she wasn't even worried anymore about being seen on a date with a girl.

The fact that the brunette couldn't stop smiling at her like that was enough to make all her worries disappear.

She relaxed comfortably in her seat as she flipped through the menu, all smiles as well as with pink cheeks because Rachel's foot was toying with her own under the table.

This was already the best date ever and it was just starting.

Thirty minutes later, Rachel was digging into a surprisingly delicious looking eggplant lasagna while Quinn took the first bite of her vegetable curry, which was amazing.

She had never eaten vegan food before.

But _this_ was definitely not rabbit food. And she could tell that Rachel was pleased that she was eating a real meal instead of a few pieces of watercress and limp carrots.

Their eyes met a few times and they shared a couple of shy smiles, but for a few minutes, they simply enjoyed each other's presence as they ate their meal.

They had spent the previous half hour talking about simple things, like school and their upcoming assignment for Glee club.

Or Rachel's dance classes and how Quinn spent her Sunday afternoons teaching piano to little kids (which made the brunette swoon at how adorable that was).

Nothing too serious, just an easy flowing conversation between the two.

They were both at ease with each other. There was no one else in the bistro that they knew, and it just made them enjoy themselves even more.

Quinn wasn't afraid to gently brush her hand over Rachel's from time to time or to give her adoring glances.

But there was one question that had been on her mind all day.

So after washing down a bite of food with some iced tea, she reached over to take Rachel's hand and smiled softly at her.

The brunette stopped eating and looked up at her, raising a brow curiously.

"So, I've been wondering...", Quinn began quietly and cleared her throat, feeling her cheeks turn pink.

"What is it, Quinn? You know you can tell me anything. I think after yesterday we can be pretty open with each other.",the brunette chuckled lowly, squeezing her hand.

Quinn's blush just deepened and she chewed on her lip for a moment before deciding to just ask and get it over with.

"This... I mean...This means we're like...dating now, right?", she asked in a small, hopeful voice as she met Rachel's eyes.

Yeah it was kind of ridiculous, but she had to know. Dating was the first step towards becoming a real couple. And even though that scared her a bit, she really, _really_ wanted Rachel to say that they were dating.

She watched as the girl's lips slowly curved into a soft smile.

"If that's what you want, then yes. We're dating, Quinn." Rachel said happily.

"Is that what _you_ want?"Quinn wondered.

"Quinn, I kissed you like a bunch of times yesterday and I admitted that I liked you. A lot. Trust me. I want us to be dating.",she reassured her with a gentle smile.

With a sigh of relief and a delighted smile, Quinn squeezed her hand before releasing it as she went back to her food.

"About the shotgun..." Quinn brought up a few minutes later, after she had finished her curry and rice.

She had a slightly frightened look on her face and Rachel couldn't help but laugh at her, shaking her head in amusement as she wiped her mouth with a napkin.

"Quinn, daddy wasn't being serious. He only did that to scare you, but it was just a joke. He's harmless. Trust me."

Quinn sighed,toying with the edge of the white tablecloth.

"I'm afraid they're going to hate me, Rachel. I mean, _I'd_ hate me if I were them. For how I acted before.",she murmured sadly, swallowing a lump in her throat.

Reaching across the table, Rachel joined their hands again and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Quinn, I told them everything. I told them about yesterday and how you admitted things to me. How you only bullied me because you were scared. They understood and they're not mad at you, sweetie. They know what it's like to struggle with sexuality. It's okay, I promise."

Quinn nodded slowly to what she was saying, relieved that Rachel's fathers weren't going to try and forbid her from seeing their daughters because she was a jerk in the past.

She began to smile again before realizing that Rachel said she had told them everything and her eyes widened in horror. "Oh my god, you told them that we showered naked together and that I touched your boobs!?",she said in a harsh whisper, her face turning beet red.

She was a second away from hyperventilating in panic.

But then Rachel burst out laughing, causing a few people to look over at them curiously and Quinn narrowed her eyes at her as the brunette brought a hand to her mouth and shook her head in amusement.

"Oh god, no. I left out that part. If daddy knew you touched my breasts and saw me naked before we even went on a date, then he would have _definitely_ used the shotgun.",she smirked playfully.

Meanwhile Quinn nearly choked on the remainder of her iced tea, her eyes nearly bulging out of her head.

"Oh my god...",she breathed out, which only caused another fit of laughter from Rachel.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Quinn was taking out her credit card to pay the bill.

After she nearly had a heart attack at the thought of Rachel's tall,muscular father chasing her down the street with a shotgun, the brunette had reassured her that she was only kidding and they had spent the next few minutes talking about how they were both equally thrilled to be 'dating' now.

Seriously, to think that this was all started because of a shampoo bottle.

"No dessert?", Rachel asked curiously as the blonde handed the waitress her card.

Quinn simply winked at her, which obviously didn't answer the short girl's question, but she had other plans for them.

There was a part two to the date, and there was pastry shop on the way to that destination.

Her original dessert plan had been ice cream, but unfortunately, there were no ice cream shops with dairy free ice cream in the vicinity.

So pastries it was.

After getting her card back from the waitress, Quinn quickly stood up to help Rachel out of her chair, earning herself a peck on the cheek for her chivalry.

She couldn't help the heat that rose to her face then.

It was the first time Rachel had done that in a public setting. But no one seemed to notice, or care.

Which made Quinn smile as she led her date out of restaurant.

By then the stars were out and they both stopped in front of Quinn's car to admire them, Rachel hand slipping into Quinn's as she laced their fingers together.

Everything was like a dream or a fairy tale to Quinn because it was all going so well, and she had never seen Rachel this happy.

All because of her.

It made her heart beat like crazy. Like the little drummer boy actually lived inside of her chest.

"So what's next?", Rachel asked quietly after a few minutes as Quinn tried to make out the constellations in the sky.

The Big Dipper, Ursa Minor, Draco...

With a soft smile, the taller of the two girls looked down at the other and squeezed her hand before opening the passenger side door for her.

Quinn couldn't wait for the next part.

"Ever heard of the Skylight drive-in theater, Rach?"

* * *

xxx

So there's a part two to the date coming soon, which actually might be longer than this chapter. You'll have to tune in to see Quinn bring Rachel to a drive-in theater. What movie do you think is playing?

And will Quinn get a goodnight kiss? Or will something happen to spoil it before she gets the chance?

I super pinky swear that I will update table for two tomorrow. And paradise city on Friday. I just haven't had the chance to be near a computer in recent days.

I suck, I know. But I hope you still love me.

Please be kind and review. You have no idea how much my face lights up when I see reviews in my email inbox! :)

xxx


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer**: All original Glee characters belong to the creators!

And now back to our regularly scheduled programming!

* * *

Quinn watched with a small smile as Rachel's brows rose in surprise when she mentioned the drive in.

Sure, maybe dinner and a movie was a bit of a first date cliché and not completely original,but it's not like Quinn had planned a whole lot of dates in her life. And this one was kind of on short notice.

She was trying to play it safe with an old classic, and she knew that Rachel was the kind of girl who would appreciate something like that.

It's not like she had woken up the previous day knowing that thirty six hours from then, she would be taking Rachel Berry out on what would be known as their first ever date.

_Romantic_ date.

She was still trying to process that part.

And all the kissing that had happened as well...

God, she already missed the kissing. Rachel's lips were highly addictive but the last time she had gotten a taste of them was right before they had left the lake the night before.

She hadn't tried to kiss her yet because like she said, this was their first date (regardless of the fact that Quinn had already rounded second base with her the day before during a very steamy make out session in a certain locker room, which was totally awesome by the way) and she wanted Rachel to think she was the perfect gentlewoman. So she would hold off on trying to kiss her until they were at Rachel's doorstep later that night where she would find out if her attempt at wooing Rachel had been worthy of a goodnight kiss.

Or not.

But she really, really hoped that it would be because or else she might go into withdrawal.

She missed those plump, sweet, berry tasting lips.

_Stop daydreaming moron, you've been holding the car door for the past five minutes!_

Oh. Right.

She cleared her throat and closed the door, feeling her cheeks turn pink because Rachel was looking at her curiously.

Running a hand through her hair, she walked around the car, trying to resist the urge to dance like a total idiot because yeah, she was totally on a date with the girl of her dreams and she hadn't passed out or thrown up yet.

Which was a major plus.

Taking a moment to compose herself, she took a breath before slipping into the driver's seat, only to find Rachel staring at her with a wide smile.

"You're taking me to a drive-in movie theater?", Rachel asked curiously, that perfect grin of hers never faltering.

She might have chosen a cliché date, but she wasn't about to take Rachel to any old movie theater.

Quinn was a classy girl, and she had dreamed of going on a date at the drive-in ever since her grandmother had told her that that's where she and her grandfather had their first date.

And then later on, that's where he had proposed.

Not that she was already thinking of proposals or anything like that because that would be completely insane. She just thought that there was something so romantic about cuddling up in the backseat of a car, parked in a wide open field in front of a huge screen playing some kind of timeless movie.

Quinn started the engine and flashed the brunette a lopsided grin as she pulled out of the restaurant's parking lot.

"The drive-in sounded more romantic than the plain old movie theater... Besides, I kind of prefer being alone with you in my car and being able to cuddle instead of being in a crowded movie theater in those uncomfortable seats...",she murmured softly as she headed East, in the direction opposite the one they had driven to the restaurant from.

There was a pause and while she concentrated on the road because it was dark and deer liked to roam around at that time of year, she felt a small, warm hand slip into her own and lace their fingers together.

She couldn't get over how easily they fit into place together. Like they were made for each other.

"Quinn Fabray, you want to cuddle me?", Rachel asked in a soft, curious voice as she eyed the blonde intently, brushing her thumb over the back of a pale hand and tracing the vein that ran through there.

Quinn felt her cheeks turn pink and she was hoping that Rachel didn't notice it in the dark. She cleared her throat and took a brief moment to glance at her with a shy smile before looking back at the road, turning off the main road onto a small street lit by vintage looking streetlamps.

"Is that okay? I mean, I don't know if that's something we can do on a first date or not. And if you don't want to, it's totally fine. I just thought that it would be nice, you know? Watching a movie and maybe cuddling together? Or we could just sit on opposite sides of the car. That's totally fine too..."

She was rambling and her face had turned five shades darker.

"Quinn?"

"Yes...?",she asked timidly as she looked over at her date and bit her lip.

"Breathe for a second.",the brunette instructed, looking at her with a hint of concern.

Quinn exhaled slowly and brought the car to a halt beside one of the street lamps.

"Cuddling is just fine. I just didn't think you were the cuddling type, that's all. But I would love to cuddle with you, Quinn. And the fact that you want to is completely adorable.",she reassured her as she squeezed her hand.

Quinn sighed in relief and visibly relaxed as she put her car in park, trying not to smile too wide at the thought of cuddling with Rachel in the backseat of her car. She didn't want to come off as too eager because that would just be creepy...right?

"Alright,cool.", she said casually before rolling her eyes at herself.

_That was lame, Fabray. _

Oh whatever.

Rachel simply chuckled softly before finally looking around at where they were, quirking a curious brow at the blonde.

"Um, Quinn...I don't know where we are but this doesn't look like the drive in.", she said with a soft laugh.

They were parked in front of a place called _Sugar and Spice._

A bakery/pastry shop that was fortunately open late on weekdays.

And this is where Quinn would be purchasing the mandatory movie watching treats.

Quinn just laughed quietly at Rachel's confusion and winked at her before opening her door.

"Wait right here, gorgeous.", she said softly before she got out of the car and walked into the shop and straight up to the counter with a polite smile.

"Pick up for Fabray.", she said to the girl behind the counter.

She had been incredibly pleased with herself when she had actually managed to find a pastry shop that made vegan treats and had called them right before picking up Rachel for their date to place an order.

She just hoped that her gesture would help her rack up more brownie points with the brunette.

She really wanted this date to be perfect enough to grant her a second one.

And a third.

And a fourth.

God, she wanted to date Rachel Berry so badly now that the girl knew she liked her.

* * *

Meanwhile, Rachel was sitting in Quinn's car, delightfully swooning.

Quinn was perfect, and adorable.

And perfect.

And sweet.

And...did she mention she was perfect?

Because she was. She really was.

When she had agreed to go on a date with Quinn, she hadn't really known what to expect from the blonde.

She knew that Quinn wasn't yet at the point where she was ready to be open to the public about her sexuality and her newly revealed feelings, so she had been fully ready to expect a date that didn't actually make it look like they were on a date.

Or something that wasn't in a crowded place so they wouldn't be seen together, especially by students of McKinley or people that knew Quinn, or her parents, because she figured that it would just send the blonde into some sort of panic.

But she had been incredibly surprised when their first destination for the evening turned out to be a restaurant.

And not just any restaurant, no.

This wasn't a cheap family restaurant like Breadstix where you could color on the place mats and 98% of the items on the menu were things that she couldn't eat.

No, this was a fancy restaurant on the other side of town that was actually a _vegan_ restaurant. Not just a restaurant that served vegan food, but a full blown vegan restaurant.

And she knew just by the looks of the place and how chic the inside was that it wasn't a restaurant where you could dine for cheap.

But Quinn had brought her there. Not only that, but she had actually made the effort to locate a vegan restaurant and drive there, even if it was a bit out of their way.

Something that none of her past dates had ever bothered to do.

And that alone made Quinn Fabray swoon worthy.

But of course, there were also many other things to up the swoon factor.

She was also so beautiful that it made her heart forget how to beat every time she gazed at her for too long.

Quinn literally looked like some kind of angel goddess supermodel gift from God and she was considering pinching herself to make sure that this whole date ordeal was actually real because why on Earth would this heavenly being want to go on a date with her of all people!?

But according to the blonde, she had very deep feelings for the brunette that had been developing for quite some time now and every time Rachel thought about it, she couldn't help the wide grin that threatened to split her face in half.

Quinn could have anyone she wanted. Hell, half the school was lining up for her but out of all those people, most of them infinitely more popular and attractive than she was (in her opinion), Quinn Fabray wanted her.

_Her. _

The prettiest girl she had even laid eyes on, who also happened to be extremely intelligent, not to mention talented, ambitious, witty and adorable wanted her.

Rachel freaking Berry.

The tiny annoying Jewish girl with the loud voice, the big nose and the owl sweaters.

And honestly? That was the best feeling in the world.

Infinitely better than that time she had gotten over a thousand views on one of her MySpace videos...

Or when one of her idols, Miss Patti Lupone had favorite one of her tweets.

And _that _had made her cry.

But being on a date with Quinn and knowing that the blonde wanted her and wanted to spend time with her and cuddle her and _kiss_ her? Well let's just say that she felt like a five year old at a carnival for the first time.

Giddy and excited and wide eyed.

And Quinn Fabray was like the spinning tea cups.

Beautiful and making her feel dizzy and light headed.

But in the best possible way.

She knew that this night had the potential to turn into something. Something that both girls might have been wanting for a long time, having taken a while to admit it to themselves.

And now Quinn was actually taking her to a drive in movie theater and that just made her think of the dates in the old classics that she used to watch where the standard practice was to take the girl you were sweet on to the drive in for a movie, where you sneakily tried to wrap your arm around her or hold her hand or even earn a gentle cheek peck in between the scenes on the big screen.

"Quinn Fabray, you are too wonderful to be real...",she breathed out in content as she gazed up at the sign for the shop Quinn had just gone into, wondering what sort of surprise the blonde had up her sleeve now.

It's not like Quinn needed to do more to impress her.

The vegan restaurant and the drive in were already enough to have her hopping on the Quinn train indefinitely.

* * *

It took about seven minutes for Quinn to walk into the shop, pay for her order, double check to make sure it was what she wanted before thanking the cashier and wishing her a great night as she walked out.

Because she was having a wonderful night and wanted others to do the same.

Fantastic moods were infectious, you know?

Now she was walking to the car, the silliest grin on her face as she held onto the small, baby blue box that was wrapped with a darker blue ribbon.

She could feel Rachel's eyes on her, the brunette watching her curiously as she walked in front of the car and over to the driver's side, slipping in and closing the door before looking at the girl with an innocent smile.

"Here, you can hold this.",she said as she handed her the box and put the car back into drive so she could peel away from the sidewalk and head to their third destination; the drive in.

"What is it?", Rachel asked with a curious smile as she flipped the little tag that was attached to the pretty ribbon.

Quinn heard Rachel's soft gasp and felt herself blush all the colors of the sunset, keeping her eyes focused on the road because she wasn't actually familiar with this part of town and she didn't want to end up getting lost and missing the movie.

But she knew why Rachel had gasped and was now looking up at her with the widest grin and a cute little blush of her own.

Because after she had paid for the order, Quinn had asked the cashier for a pen and on the tag had written "A sweet treat for the sweetest girl I know. How did I get so lucky to be on a date with the most beautiful thing God created? –Q".

Quinn didn't say anything. She just bit her lip to hide her smile as she drove on and purposely raised the volume on the radio.

And Rachel kept staring at her, which was making it hard for her not to chuckle.

"Quinn...",the brunette murmured after a moment, looking down at the tag again.

"Hmm?",Quinn asked with a raised eyebrow, looking at her out of the corner of her eye.

Rachel was fiddling with the ribbon and she knew that the girl wanted to open the box.

"How did I get so lucky to be on a date with the most charming, sweet and perfect person I know?", Rachel asked softly.

Quinn looked back towards the road and she couldn't control her smile this time.

And her heart was practically doing somersaults inside of her chest, or trying to break out of her ribcage with how fast it was pounding.

"Open the box, Rach.", she said simply.

And her date did just that, carefully pulling the blue ribbon before slowly pulling off the lid to gaze at the contents of the medium sized box.

"Oh Quinn...", Rachel breathed out with a wide smile.

Inside the box were four chocolate cupcakes with pink frosting.

They were all decorated with little hearts and she had demanded something extra cheesy and ridiculous for the last cupcake.

Q+R spelled out in star shaped sprinkles and surrounded by a big heart.

Yeah, Quinn was a huge dork.

And corny as hell.

But that smile she got from Rachel definitely made it worth it.

"I'm sorry, but I have to...", the brunette trailed off as she got her phone from her purse and snapped a picture of the beautifully decorated cupcakes, which only made Quinn blush and flash her a shy smile, shrugging like it was no big deal that she got her customized cupcakes on their first date.

Customized _vegan_ cupcakes.

"The frosting is strawberry flavored...Just like you.",she murmured softly as she turned onto the long road that lead to the drive in.

And now it was Rachel's turn to blush as she carefully put the lid back on the box so they could save the cupcakes for the movie.

"Are you sure this is your first time planning a date?"

Quinn laughed softly and nodded, flashing her that grin of hers.

That special 'reserved solely for Rachel and no one else' grin.

A grin she tried to hide for the better part of two years.

"I'm sure. Why do you ask?"

"Because you're absolutely perfect at it and you're two seconds away from having me melt into a puddle of absolute blissful mush because you make a girl swoon harder than Clark Gable in _Gone With the Wind_",she breathed out quietly.

Quinn raised her brows in surprise at her words, just as she pulled into the field where the drive-in was located. There were already some cars there and the place was illuminated with white Christmas lights.

There was also a concession stand and a ticket booth.

"I'm just trying my best to give you a memorable first date so you'll want to go out with me again.",she admitted quietly as she drove up to the ticket booth.

Rachel reached over and grabbed her hand before she could get out of the car, giving it a gentle squeeze as she grinned at her.

"Quinn, just five minutes into a date with you makes me want to go on a million more. Hell, five minutes with you is better than all of the dates I've been on combined. You're sweet, thoughtful and adorable because I can tell how nervous you are. You got your second date as soon as we walked into that vegan restaurant, Quinn. So don't worry about it. We're dating."

Dating...

Quinn's heart gave that familiar flutter at that word and she had to get out of the car so Rachel wouldn't see that she was grinning like a massive idiot as she walked over to the ticket booth where she was greeted by a cheerful man who must have been in his early sixties.

She had called him too after school when the idea of the drive-in had popped into her mind. Mainly to ask him what movies were playing, among a few other questions...

She handed the man a few bills and he grinned as he handed her the two tickets before peering over the blonde's shoulder and raising his bushy grey brows at her.

"Is that your girl?", he asked curiously.

In an instant, Quinn's face turned bright red and she stared down at her shoes, not knowing how to answer that.

Was Rachel her girl? Yeah, she said they were dating now but...did that make her 'her girl'? And not only that but this was the first time she was actually asked that kind of question and she had to admit that she did panic for a few seconds but the man just smiled on like Quinn didn't just have a mini freak out.

"She's pretty. Definitely looks like a keeper. You're pretty lucky kiddo.", he said with a wink as he patted her hand and Quinn couldn't help but raise her brows in surprise because that was not exactly the kind of comment she had been expecting from a sixty year old man.

A shy smile crept onto her lips and she ducked her head slightly.

"Thank you...I know. I'm the luckiest girl in the world right now and tonight's my first shot at giving a perfect girl a perfect date.",she murmured softly.

"Seems like you really like her, dear.", he said sweetly, glancing over at Rachel again who was watching the scene curiously.

Quinn just gave him another smile before turning towards the car, looking at him over her shoulder.

"Let's just say that I've been waiting a long time to get to do something like this for her."

* * *

"What was that all about?", Rachel asked curiously once Quinn was back in the car and reversing so they could go find a spot with the other cars in front of the gigantic screen.

"He was just telling me how pretty my girl was.", Quinn said quietly, biting her lip as she waited for Rachel's reaction.

She watched as the brunette's brows rose in surprise and a soft smile appeared on her lips. "Your girl, huh? And what did you say?",she asked curiously as she reached for Quinn's hand again, despite the fact that the blonde was currently trying to manoeuvre between cars at the moment.

But Quinn took her hand anyway and laced their fingers together, squeezing her hand gently with a slight grin as she nodded.

"Yeah. And I told him that my girl was perfect.", she said as she found the perfect spot, not to close but not too far either. The right position for them to see perfectly once in the backseat.

She could tell that Rachel was blushing at her answer.

"I really want to kiss you right now.", the petite girl said so suddenly that Quinn accidentally managed to honk her horn by accident as she looked over at her, her cheeks the color of a ripened tomato.

"R-Really?",she asked timidly, her heart beginning to speed up again and it took everything in her not to just lean in because god, she wanted to kiss her too.

It had been way too long. (Even if it was a bit more than twenty four hours.)

"Really.", Rachel said with a nod as she stroked the blonde's knuckles with her thumb, looking up into a pair of bright hazel eyes. "But I'm not going to.",she said after a moment.

Quinn's face fell then and she frowned deeply, pouting at her in disappointed, which Rachel couldn't help but laugh at.

"Why?",the blonde whined softly.

"Because I don't kiss on the first date."

"But we kissed already...",the blonde whined again, pouting in an even more exaggerated manner.

Rachel rolled her eyes at her and lifted a pale hand to press a kiss to the back of it.

"I know, but... I want us to have a traditional first date, you know. Like in the old days, where it all built up to the magical goodnight kiss under the porch light when the girl gets dropped off at her house... I want that with you tonight...I don't know why, because I love kissing you, Quinn. I really do and I miss it, but...I want us to do this the right way. I want the build up. I want to kiss you when you drop me off to thank you for giving me such an amazing night...Is that okay?",she asked quietly as she met her eyes again.

Quinn let out a quiet sigh and nodded slightly as she gave her a reassuring smile. After all, waiting for the goodnight kiss had been her thoughts earlier as well.

"That would be perfect, Rach. I don't mind waiting.",she murmured softly before grinning at her. "Now come on. Let's get settled before the movie starts.",she said happily as she got out of the car so she could slip into the backseat, where she had stashed a quilt and some pillows.

She watched as Rachel followed suit, the brunette smiling excitedly as she crawled over to the blonde who was spreading out the blanket, immediately cuddling up to the girl's side as she pulled the blanket over both of their laps.

"I'm happy you suggested cuddling. I loved holding you and being held by you last night at the lake...", Rachel murmured against her shoulder, noticing that the screen was beginning to light up.

Quinn sighed contently as she thought back to their time after school spent on the small beach at her favorite spot. The little lake she had discovered and where she spent all her time when she needed to think or relax or just get away from everything and everyone.

And as of yesterday, it was also the place where she had finally confessed all of her pent up feelings for Rachel, and the brunette had done to same, much to her relief.

Rachel, who hadn't noticed her momentarily daydreaming, wrapped her arm around the blonde's waist and laid her head on her shoulder, sighing happily as she gazed at the screen.

"So, what are we watching?"

* * *

Rachel felt like she was floating on a cloud or starring in a perfect classical romance movie because everything that her past dates had gotten wrong, Quinn had gotten completely right.

The cupcakes had been an unexpected surprise but it was by far the most adorable thing anyone had ever done for her. Especially with the addition of the Q+R cupcake which alone made her fall for the blonde about ten times harder because it was so cute and sweet and just...perfect.

Everything about this night was fucking perfect and she didn't know how she was going to top this if it was ever her turn to plan one of their dates.

There was no way that she could beat the simplicity yet charm and adorableness of this date.

And to make things even better, they were now currently cuddled up in the back of Quinn's red VW bug, under a woolen quilt about to watch a movie on the biggest screen she had even seen.

It was really the cherry on top of the most perfect sundae.

When she had asked what movie they were watching, Quinn just looked down at her with the heart melting grin of hers and winked.

So when Rachel looked at the screen again and saw the opening credits, her eyes widened comically and she gasped loudly, looking up at the blonde like she was trying to hold in a happy squeal (which she did poorly).

Scratch what she had said. _This_ was the cherry on top of the sundae.

_Funny Girl. _

Not only had Quinn Fabray brought her to a drive-in, but she had somehow managed to find a place that was showing her all time favorite movie starring her idol and all around Goddess Barbra Streisand.

Yeah, okay. The girl was definitely a keeper.

And she really had to try her best not to kiss the holy daylights out of her because that's all she could think of doing right now as the opening scene unfurled on the screen.

But she had seen the movie so many times that she could afford missing the first minute in order to look up at the blonde, who had her arms around her and her gaze intent on the movie, an innocent smile on her lips like this wasn't a big deal.

"I just want you to know that you've made me a very, very happy girl Quinn Fabray. No one, and I mean no one, would have done something like this for me. This is incredible. Everything about tonight is incredible and perfect and I know that I'm going to dream about it tonight and replay all your sweet words and kind gestures in my head over and over until I go crazy because one day ago I never would have thought that something like this would actually come true, but it did, and now I'm going to watch the movie so I don't end up sticking my tongue down your throat for being so damn amazing.",she said all in one breath before looking back at the screen.

She missed the way Quinn blushed for what seemed like the hundredth time that night.

She also missed the way her throat bobbed with a hard swallow and her breathing got a bit deeper.

And her heart beat like crazy.

But she didn't miss how her arm tightened around her while the blonde pulled her closer and pressed her lips to her temple to momentarily satisfy her need to put her lips on her as well.

And Rachel was all smiles, her heart warming as she cuddled further into the blonde and proceeded to practically mouth the movie word for word, the biggest smile on her face.

She also sang. Every single song throughout the movie.

She thought about stopping after the first one for fear that she would annoy Quinn, but every time she opened her mouth to sing, the blonde looked at her with such an intense admiration, completely forgetting about the film and concentrating simply on her.

It made her heart skip many beats because no one looked at her like that. Ever.

Except for Quinn.

And she had a feeling that the blonde had always been looking at her like that, like she was some kind of rare jewel that had just been pulled out of a treasure chest.

Like she was perfect and unique and worth missing half the scenes in the movie for.

Quinn's looks made her feel special and she had to grab the box of cupcakes halfway through the movie to occupy her mouth.

Which was a good choice because the cupcakes were absolutely divine and she couldn't help but groan in delight as she bit into one.

"Oh my god. These are amazing, Quinn.",she said as she licked the frosting off of her lips, not missing the way the blonde's gaze seemed to lower to her bottom lip, hazel eyes darkening for a moment.

"They're vegan...",the blonde said absently, licking her lips before she cleared her throat.

"Here, you should really try some...",the brunette said in a surprisingly low tone as she swiped some frosting onto her finger and brought it up to Quinn's mouth, looking at her with a timid smile, her tanned cheeks almost pink.

Quinn slowly raised a brow at her, looking down at her finger that was covered with pink strawberry icing. A moment later, she was opening her mouth and slowly leaning in, wrapping her lips against Rachel's index finger.

She swirled her tongue slowly around the finger, getting every bit of icing it had to offer.

Then her eyes darkened a shade more as they locked onto an equally dark pool of chocolate colored orbs.

And then, she moaned softly, which caught Rachel as a surprise and she could feel her mouth going dry as she just stared at the blonde.

"Tastes just like you.", Quinn murmured in a husky tone as she made a show of slowly licking her lips to get the last of the frosting before she began to lean in, a hungry look in her eyes.

Rachel had to admit that she was incredibly aroused by the sight of her date licking icing off of her finger and looking at her like...well, like that.

Like she wanted to eat _her._

And then Quinn was leaning in and she knew what the blonde wanted.

She wanted it too. A well awaited kiss.

But at the last moment, when Quinn's lips were mere inches away from hers, she inhaled sharply and looked back at the screen.

"Oh look it's the last couple of scenes. We should watch.",she said quickly, somehow out of breath.

Quinn's lips collided with her cheek and she heard the blonde's frustrated groan.

"This is so not fair...",was mumbled in her ear and she couldn't help but chuckle softly as she squeezed the blonde's knee.

"Patience, dear."

* * *

Rachel's reaction to the movie had been perfect; surprised and excited, just like she had imagined it.

And seeing the smile on her face when she realized that they were seeing her favorite movie felt incredibly satisfying.

The cuddling that ensued was perfect as well because she loved how Rachel just seemed to fit perfectly in her arms, like she was meant to be there.

Like she was always meant to be there.

There was only one...tiny little problem.

As they drove back from the drive-in after the movie had ended, trying to make it home before Rachel's curfew so Quinn wouldn't get grilled by one or both of the brunette's fathers, Quinn was incredibly frustrated.

And incredibly turned on.

Licking that sweet icing off of the brunette's finger had only served to flood her mind with memories of the previous day.

Very hot, steamy memories.

Rachel's lips. Rachel's body. Rachel's perfect breasts and smooth tanned skin that she just wanted to lick and kiss and-...

"Quinn? Are you still upset that I turned away when you went in to kiss me?", the brunette asked quietly.

They had spent most of the drive home in silence, their fingers linked and the only sound being Rachel humming along to the radio again.

Quinn sighed deeply at the question and shook her head, looking over at the girl. "I'm not upset. I promise. I know you said you wanted to wait. I just got carried away for a second. Don't worry about it.",she said with a reassuring smile as they turned into Rachel's neighborhood.

Rachel just nodded and played with her fingers, the box with the remainder of the cupcakes sitting on her lap.

Five minutes later, they had pulled into Rachel's driveway.

This was it.

The end of the date.

Their first date.

If she had done things right, everything had been culminating up to this moment.

Forget about the fact that they had kissed and made out and touched each other before.

This was going to be different.

If they kissed on Rachel's front porch now, it would be their first ever kiss as being two people who are dating.

And she would make sure that it was perfect.

After she had shut off the engine, she got out of the car and took a deep breath before walking over to Rachel's side to open the door for her, holding out her hand.

"Such a gentlewoman.", the brunette said with a small grin as she took her hand, holding the box in the other as they slowly made their way up the driveway to the porch.

Quinn's heart was beating so loud that she was positive that Rachel and the entire neighborhood could hear it.

She didn't know why she was nervous, exactly. But she was.

Incredibly nervous.

This was the last part of their date. The last few minutes and she really didn't want to screw it up, even if the brunette had already promised her more dates in the future.

A moment later, they found themselves facing each other right under the porch light, in front of the door.

Just like those hundreds of romance movies.

"So...", Quinn began quietly, biting her lip nervously as she gazed down into equally nervous looking brown eyes.

She watched with bated breath as the brunette slowly took a step closer and reached up, wrapping her arms around the blonde's neck.

Quinn blushed faintly and hesitantly put her hands on Rachel's waist, afraid that her father would yank the door open at any moment and order her to get her hands off of his daughter while pointing the shotgun at her again.

Like she was reading her mind, Rachel flashed her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. They're most likely sleeping. Dad's usually exhausted after his shift and daddy most likely fell asleep to some Sports Center thing.",she shrugged.

Quinn sighed in relief and pulled her closer, holding her with more confidence than she had ten seconds ago when she was practically terrified.

"I know I've said this a bunch of times already,but... Tonight was amazing. The dinner, the cupcakes, the movie... It was so simple but at the same time it was perfect, and exactly what I wanted out of a first date. And I can't wait to have many more with you. If they're anything like tonight, you're going to make me a very happy girl, Quinn Fabray.",Rachel murmured quietly, looking up at her with an adoring smile.

Quinn couldn't help the proud grin that appeared on her lips.

_Score! _

Despite the last minute planning and thinking that she might have to wing some things, which she ultimately didn't, the date had gone off without a hitch.

She officially had her first date with Rachel Berry.

And she was so happy she thought she was going to cry.

"Quinn...?"

"Hmm?",the blonde hummed as she snapped out of her thoughts, looking down at her beautiful date with a grin. "Yes, darling?"

"You can kiss me now.", Rachel whispered softly.

...Quinn really didn't need to be told twice.

She had waited an entire day for this moment.

And it had been a pain trying to resist the urge to kiss her throughout the duration of their date.

So she barely waited until the brunette had finished her sentence to lean in and press their lips together in one firm, long awaited kiss.

_Fucking fireworks. _

They were exploding behind her eyes and for some reason, this kiss...the kiss they had both been looking forward to, it was better than the other ones.

Better than all of them combined.

They were all perfect but this one just blew them out of the water.

They both sighed contently at the same time before pulling back slightly, resting their foreheads against each other as they both basked in the afterglow of their first date.

They stayed like that for what seemed like an eternity, but it was probably five minutes.

Finally, Quinn opened her eyes and pulled back, her hands still on Rachel's hips.

"I have a confession to make...",she murmured shyly, biting her lip.

Rachel quirked a brow at her and tilted her head slightly, absently playing with the soft baby hairs at the back of Quinn's neck.

"What is it, Q...?",she asked, a bit worried as she furrowed her brows.

Quinn licked her dry lips and smiled timidly at her.

"Tonight was 'Classics night' at the drive-in...The film that was originally scheduled to play was _Casablanca_. I...paid the owner 100$ so he would show_ Funny Girl_ instead because I wanted the night to end with you watching your favorite movie on the biggest screen in Lima.",she admitted quietly, nervously awaiting Rachel's reaction as she looked up at her through her lashes.

She couldn't really tell what Rachel was thinking because her face was blank, but before she could open her mouth to say anything, she felt herself being pushed backwards as a pair of strawberry flavored lips had latched onto hers in such a passionate manner that she couldn't help the surprised low moan that left her lips as her eyes drifted closed.

She didn't even wince when her back roughly hit the front door.

All she could do was pull Rachel closer because it seemed like the girl was currently trying to express her thank yous with her lips.

* * *

xxx

Sorry for the long wait guys! But school got cray, work got even crazier and I went out of the country for a few days.

But i'm back in action!

Here's the second part of the date. Think Quinn's going to get invited inside or is she going to resist and go home?

Please be kind and review! Currently working on the new chapter of Table for Two. I keep changing my mind about how I want the chapter to go but keep your eyes peeled, it's coming soon!

Also, for those who asked, I did not watch the Glee finale! I just couldn't do it.

Stay tuned!

xxx


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer**: All Glee characters belong to the creators! Everyone else is mine.

* * *

If the restaurant and the cupcakes and the drive-in hadn't had Rachel falling for Quinn Fabray before, this had certainly pushed her over the edge.

And she had no qualms about the night turning out like a cheesy romance movie.

She had a secret obsession with those kinds of movies and tonight, Quinn was making all of her date fantasies come true.

No one had ever taken her to a vegan restaurant before, or bought her the most adorable decorated cupcakes or brought her to see her favorite movie at the drive-in.

Hell, the only time Finn had taken her to a movie was to see _Transformers. _

She hated action movies.

And he spent the entire time raving about how sexy Megan Fox was.

Which is true, but...That wasn't the point.

She had gone home sulking while he kept that stupid grin plastered on his face as he spent the car ride home rehashing the movie and how 'totally awesome' it was.

But all she really heard was; explosions, explosions, Megan Fox's boobs,explosions.

It was nauseating.

But Quinn?

Quinn hadn't taken her to some crowded germ filled theater where the floors were sticky and hormonal teenagers spent the majority of the two hours trying to suck each other's faces off before the credits rolled.

Instead, the blonde had completely surprised her by taking her to see her all time favorite movie where they got to cuddle up in the privacy of Quinn's car where she could happily sing along to the musical without having to wipe down the surrounding area with sanitary wipes like she did every time she stepped foot into a cinema.

Taking her to see _Funny Girl _had been amazing in and of itself, and she couldn't wait to get home so they could finally share a first date kiss, but then the blonde had admitted to her that she had actually bribed the drive-in's owner to play her favorite movie just so the date could be perfect and she absolutely melted.

It was the most romantic thing anyone had ever done for her, and who knew Quinn Fabray could be such a big sweetheart?

Rachel had been seeing a lot of Quinn's charming qualities over the past two days. Ever since the girl had admitted her feelings to her, she hadn't said a single mean thing to her.

In fact, all she was getting from Quinn since their encounter in the locker room were compliments and adoring looks and longing stares.

She could really get used to this.

She had been mentally preparing herself for the goodnight kiss on her front porch. She wanted their first date to remain traditional and sweet. Quinn would kiss her,she would lean up on her toes to meet her pretty pink lips. Her foot would pop just like in the movies. Time would stop for a brief second, fireworks would go off behind her eyes and-...

Okay, maybe she had watched one too many rom-coms while laying in bed all those Friday nights when everyone she knew was attending some sort of high school party/drinking fest and she remained at home, lacking plans.

And while her foot didn't pop when Quinn kissed her on the porch (it would have been too much of a cliché, anyway), there were definitely fireworks.

But she could have predicted that.

Everything about Quinn made sparks go off inside of her.

But the night was supposed to end after that kiss.

She was going to watch Quinn walk back to her car, a dreamy look in her eyes as she leaned against the door and watched her drive away while she swooned over their date.

And then she'd run inside; kiss her fathers goodnight before going upstairs to write down the entire night in her diary.

Yes. She owned a diary.

She could already picture herself ripping out all the pages where she had foolishly written about Finn Hudson and replacing them with a hundred entries about Quinn Fabray; her beauty, her charm, her lips...

But of course, there were already many diary entries that spoke of the blonde goddess.

Because even though she had kept her own feelings a secret until the blonde had revealed hers, her beloved diary had been witness to all her musings and thoughts about the girl.

She had to let her feelings out somehow, right?

But now, instead of "Quinn is so pretty, I wonder what it feels like to kiss her", she'll be writing in "Oh my god, Quinn is so perfectly charming and took me on the most amazing first date in the world!".

Right next to the previous day's entry of "I don't know if this whole day was a dream, but just in case it is, I MADE OUT WITH QUINN FABRAY IN THE SHOWER! NAKED! I SAW QUINN'S BOOBS!"

Yes, Rachel Berry could act like a teenage boy from time to time.

In her defense, it had been a very spectacular moment in her life.

But back to the situation at hand.

Quinn didn't walk to her car and drive off like her romance movie inspired plan. And she hadn't run up to fetch her diary from its hiding place under her mattress.

Why?

Because Rachel Berry currently had her date pressed up against her front door, where all of her nosy neighbors could probably see, but she didn't care.

All she cared about right now was that Quinn had made her swoon so hard that her knees felt like jelly and while her heart ran a marathon inside her chest, the only way she could say thank you for everything without turning into a pile of blabbering mush was with her lips.

And Rachel Berry could say a lot with her lips.

She wedged her small hands between Quinn's back and the door, trying to soothingly rub the spot where the blonde's back had thudded in her eagerness to kiss her.

And once she was certain that the blonde hadn't hurt herself, she slid her hands down to the perfect curves of her hips to pull her date firmly against her as she kissed her deeply, standing on the very tip of her toes.

Screw traditional.

She had just come back from one of the most wonderful nights of her life and she was officially dating _the_ Quinn Fabray for crying out loud!

A measly kiss would not be enough.

She was about to pull back, her cheeks already burning red at the fact that she had been so...eager with the girl, when the softest moan echoed from the blonde's lips, causing her brows to raise in surprise.

_Oh. _

She pulled away enough to get a look at Quinn's face, which was beautifully illuminated by the porch light, but she couldn't help but notice two things.

The blush on Quinn's cheeks, and the way her hazel eyes had darkened in the past few minutes.

She couldn't help but look at her curiously for that, earning herself a shy smile from the blonde.

"That was really hot...", Quinn admitted softly, leaning back comfortably against the door as she slid her hands down to Rachel's waist.

"What was?",the brunette asked, tilting her head slightly as she reached up to brush a strand of golden hair behind her date's ear.

Quinn's cheeks turned a few shades darker as she cleared her throat.

"You know...Pushing me against the door and kissing me like that. What was that for, anyway?",she asked curiously as she looked down at the brunette.

Rachel simply smiled at her and leaned up on her toes, only to be supported by Quinn's delicate but strong hands as she lightly pecked her lips. "It was a thank you for going out of your way to give me the most amazing date I've ever been on. Better than the movies.",she said sincerely as she leaned back down, watching as Quinn's eyes lit up at that.

"So am I better than that _Notebook _dude?", the blonde asked with her famous brow raise.

Rachel laughed softly, taking a small step back as she ran a hand through her chestnut curls and shrugged playfully.

"Well, I wouldn't go as far as saying that.",she teased. "We still haven't kissed in the rain.",she said with a playful wink, to which Quinn simply scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"You'd get pneumonia, Rachel. Or strep throat."

"But it's romantic."

"You'd lose your voice.",the blonde countered and snorted as she watched the brunette's eyes widen in horror.

"Fine. No kissing in the rain. But maybe you could build me my dream house some day.",she joked.

Quinn rose a brow at her again and rubbed the back of her neck as she leaned off the door, laughing softly.

"How about we start with a second date before we start talking about building houses? We literally just started dating a few hours ago, Rach."

"I know. I was only kidding. You won't have to build me a house, I want to live in an apartment overlooking Central Park. The only thing you're gonna have to build me is a shelf for all my Tonys.",she grinned, pulling on her hands to lead her back to the middle of the porch, under the soft light.

Quinn shook her head in amusement and lowered her head, pressing a lingering kiss to Rachel's lips. "If all goes well, I'll build you all the shelves you want. Thank you for giving me a chance, Rachel.",she said in a sincere, grateful tone as she smiled at her. "I never thought that I'd get the chance to take you on a date...I never even thought that I'd be brave enough to come clean with my feelings. You're...You're really amazing, Rachel. And I hope that I can make you just as happy on our next date. And the one after that, and the one after that...If you let me and if I don't screw things up with you.",she murmured, squeezing the pair of small, tanned hands in her own.

Rachel looked up at her, into those sparkling hazel eyes that had captured her so many moons ago and smiled reassuringly as she watched those tiny flecks of green swim around in the pools of liquid gold.

A sight she'd gladly watch for hours.

"You won't screw things up. You're already making me happier than anyone else has, and we've only gone on one date. I'd say you're on the right track. You're so sweet to me, Quinn...And charming. Thank you for tonight,and thank you for being honest to me. About everything.",she whispered as she pressed one last firm kiss to those pink lips she had become addicted to the previous day during a certain shower session.

When she pulled back, they were both blushing and Quinn gave her a shy smile before moving past her to start ascending the porch steps, but Rachel caught her hand at the last second, holding her back.

Their eyes met and Rachel bit her lip hesitantly.

"Come inside for a bit...",she murmured so quietly that her words were almost drowned out by the humming of the porch light.

Quinn's brows rose in surprise, glancing at the door before looking down at their hands, and then at Rachel herself.

"Inviting me in on the first date, Berry? I thought you wanted to stick to the traditional method.",she teased.

And to that, Rachel simply scoffed and rolled her eyes as she pulled her back towards the door.

"I just don't want you to leave yet..."

* * *

With that, Quinn was pulled inside the Berry house, Rachel's hand firmly in hers as she crossed the threshold.

And froze.

She looked around nervously as she bit her bottom lip and squeezed Rachel's hand, fully expecting her father to come out with a shotgun again and chase her out of the house for being there when it was probably passed Rachel's curfew.

Or she thought that both Berry men would put her in a dark room and shine a light on her face while they interrogated her about the date and if she planned to take their daughter out again.

Clearly she had watched one too many old cop shows during the summers where she stayed at her grandmother's house and had nothing to watch but three cable channels.

But the house was dead silent, and all the lights were off save for the entrance light and the one at the top of the stairs.

And that scared her even more because it meant that Rachel's fathers could be lurking in the shadows, waiting to jump out and kick her ass or something.

Yeah, she was definitely scared of them. And she had only met one Berry man so far.

She looked down at Rachel with a nervous smile, squeezing her hand tightly.

The brunette could sense her discomfort and rolled her eyes playfully as she gently began to tug her towards the stairs, huffing when Quinn reluctantly stayed rooted in place.

"Quinn, relax. They're sleeping. Dad's probably exhausted from his shift at work and passed out as soon as he got home. You're not going to get in trouble. Besides, my room is soundproof...They'll never know.",she grinned.

Quinn nearly tripped over her own feet at that and widened her eyes, her mind immediately going straight to the gutter.

"O-Oh, um...Wow. Okay.",she muttered, hurrying to follow Rachel up the stairs so they could get to her bedroom before getting caught.

Rachel huffed out a laugh at Quinn's stutter and shook her head in amusement, leading her by the hand to her bedroom, that was situated at the end of the hall.

The door with the big gold star on the front.

Obviously.

"I meant so that they wouldn't hear us talking, Quinn. Get your mind out of the gutter!", the brunette chastised her and the taller girl immediately felt her cheeks flush as she ducked her head shyly.

"Right. Sorry. Talking...",she mumbled.

_What else did you think was going to happen? She's not going to invite you in for sex on your first date, you idiot! _

Quinn rolled her eyes at herself as they entered Rachel's room and the lights were switched on. This was her first time entering the brunette's room and for some reason, this made her heart flutter.

This is where the girl of her dreams slept and got dressed every morning and probably sang her little heart out in front of her video camera for her MySpace videos that Quinn secretly saved onto her computer every time a new one was released so she could listen to them over and over.

Rachel's voice made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

She let go of Rachel's hand as the girl closed the door behind her and took a few steps forward as she looked around, taking it all in.

It was exactly like she had imagined it in her dreams.

Lots of pink, but in soft tones. Dance trophies neatly arranged on shelves. Playbills and Broadway posters hanging from the walls.

She spotted a bulletin board above Rachel's desk and walked over to it, smiling adoringly at a picture of a five year old Rachel in a leotard and tutu before her gaze landed on a picture of them at one of their Glee competitions. Rachel was singing and a few feet away, a certain tall blonde was looking at her with a soft smile.

She felt her cheeks burn brightly.

She didn't even know Rachel had a picture of her staring at her like some lovesick puppy.

Hell, she didn't even know she had stared at her like that during the competition.

She had probably done it subconsciously, but for the record, Rachel sang like an absolute angel. Who wouldn't stare at her like that?

The brunette chose that moment to walk up behind her and wrap her arms around her waist, making Quinn sigh softly as she leaned back against her small frame.

Rachel rested her chin on Quinn's shoulder, looking over at the picture with a small smile.

"When my fathers came to the competition, they just snapped a whole bunch of pictures while I was performing. They didn't even notice what was happening in this picture...But when the developed pictures came, I looked through them and my heart stopped when I saw this one. You had only looked at me like that in my dreams.", the smaller girl admitted shyly, hiding her face in Quinn's neck. "I took it and hung it up here, so I could look at it every day in hopes that you would someday look at me like that again..."

Quinn's heart was doing pirouettes and somersaults as she listened to the brunette because that was one of the cutest things she had ever heard. And now she wanted a copy of that picture, because it was the first time she had actually seen herself looking at Rachel like she wanted to kiss the daylights out of her.

A soft smile appeared on her lips as she slowly turned in the girl's arms and rested their foreheads together, sighing contently.

"Sweetheart, I'm pretty sure I'm going to look at you like that every single day until you get tired of having me around..."

"I don't think I could ever get tired of someone who's been treating me like a princess the whole night.", Rachel said softly as she gently pulled her towards the edge of her bed.

But Quinn frowned slightly at her words and stopped in the middle of the room, causing Rachel to look up at her curiously.

"I don't want to treat you like a princess."

Rachel's smile faltered, but before the girl could say anything, Quinn flashed her the most loving smile.

"Why treat someone like a princess when you know they're a queen?",she murmured softly.

And with that, she closed the distance between them, her hands finding Rachel's warm, pink cheeks and then the back of her neck as she pulled her in for a kiss, moaning softly because five minutes without kissing Rachel when she was floating on cloud nine was simply unacceptable.

She knew that she should probably be heading home because she certainly didn't want to take things too far, but she could feel Rachel pulling her in closer and she couldn't help the way her lips parted slightly, her tongue flicking over Rachel's plump bottom lip to beg for entrance, earning a quiet whimper from the brunette.

That alone was enough for Quinn to get turned on, her insides ablaze by the combination of being in Rachel's bedroom and having the girl whimper as she slipped her tongue into her mouth, teasingly curling it against the brunette's tongue before flicking over the roof of her mouth because she just new that it would make the girl's knees quiver.

And when it did, Quinn's hands were firm on her hips to help keep her upright, tanned arms wrapping around her neck and holding her in place as they kissed passionately.

She couldn't help the low purr that left her lips as she felt blunt nails scrape over her scalp as she wondered how she managed to get so damn lucky to be kissing Rachel in her room right now, with none of the fears she had been holding on to for the past couple of years weighing her down.

Kissing Rachel was like letting go of everything and simply letting herself be happy. And that's exactly what she was doing right now.

Sure she still didn't know how she was going to deal with all of the repercussions that were sure to come with her new dating situation. She didn't know how she was going to tell her parents, or anyone else for that matter. And all of that still scared the crap out of her.

But being with Rachel made her forget about all of that every time their lips touched. She'd worry about all of that tomorrow, after she had come down from her Rachel induced high.

She could feel the girl pulling her down onto the bed and didn't hesitate to gently lie down on top of her, although she didn't put her full weight down because she didn't want to crush her.

But Rachel was having none of that.

"I want to feel you against me.", was husked in her ear and Quinn couldn't help but shudder , her arousal rising as she slowly pressed herself flush against her lover and groaned softly as she felt Rachel's perfectly shaped body against her own, heat radiating from both of them.

"God, I've fantasized about this so many times...", the blonde admitted softly as she began to press kisses to Rachel's jawbone and then her neck, being careful not to leave any marks even though she desperately wanted to.

She didn't want Rachel's father to actually use that shotgun on her.

"Fantasized about what?", Rachel asked as she breathed in heavily, her eyes fluttering shut as she tilted her head back to give the blonde more room. "Being on top of me?",she smirked.

"No...Well, yes, but...Kissing you in your bed. I've always dreamed about kissing you in your bed. That was on top of my list.", she said quietly, pressing a hot kiss to the girl's collarbone and earning a shiver from her.

"Why is kissing me in my bed so important?",Rachel asked curiously, her hands traveling down Quinn's back, causing it to arch slightly at the touch.

Quinn felt herself blush as she leaned her head back up and looked down at her dream girl with a timid smile. "Because it makes everything feel that much more real to me..."

Rachel's lips curved into a wide smile at that as she looked up at the blonde with so much adoration in her eyes, cupping her cheeks gently.

"How can you go from sexy to adorable in just a few seconds?",she questioned, laughing softly. "You keep making me swoon, Quinn Fabray."

Quinn simply shrugged, shyly burying her face in a tanned neck as she breathed her in before sighing contently. Being this close to Rachel made her feel at peace. Rachel was the human embodiment of the sound of the ocean waves.

Calming and soothing.

"I'm just being honest. I still can't get over the fact that I'm actually dating you. I spent so long trying to repress my feelings for you and now...I'm dating you. I'm so fucking happy, you have no idea.",she breathed out.

"Language, Quinn!", Rachel said in a half stern tone as she poked her in the ribs but couldn't keep the smile off of her face.

"And I can't believe that my dreams came true and I finally got to kiss the head cheerleader. I'm happy too. So, so happy. And I'm so proud of you for being brave enough to tell me how you feel and being honest with me. That deserves all the kisses.",she grinned as she leaned up, capturing her lips in a series of soft, tender kisses before she pulled back and wrapped her arms securely around her.

"I know that this is only the beginning of the journey for you, and that it hasn't been easy. But I respect that and I want you to know that no matter how you decide to handle things from now on, I'll be with you every step of the way and I'll support your decisions.", Rachel said quietly as she looked up into her eyes.

She wished she could map them out like constellations because she swore she saw stars every time she looked into those hazel hues.

Quinn inhaled sharply at Rachel's words and blinked a few times because there was suddenly moisture in her eyes. "I'm scared that I'm going to wake up and this will all have been some kind of dream.",she murmured as she pressed a kiss to Rachel's forehead.

Their heated moment had turned into a sweet, innocent one and she didn't mind one bit.

She didn't want things to go too far on their first date, despite what had happened the previous day. But she wasn't going to count that. This was day one of her dating Rachel Berry and she wanted to do things the right way because that's what Rachel deserved, so she didn't care that they had stopped their makeout session.

Rachel looked up at the blonde with a soft smile, running a hand through golden locks that had somehow gotten a bit messy in the past few minutes.

"Don't worry, it's not. I spent twenty minutes last night and this morning pinching myself to make sure that it wasn't.",she chuckled lowly, earning a giggle from Quinn.

"Then this is the first time that reality has ever been better than my dreams.", Quinn said quietly as she laid her head on Rachel's chest, looking up at her. "I don't want to go to sleep anymore."

Rachel looked down at her with a small grin, laughing softly. "You are so cute, yet so cheesy Quinn Fabray. I hope you stay this adorable forever."

"I thought you liked cheesy?", Quinn asked with a raised eyebrow and Rachel nodded happily, beaming at her.

"I do. And you're wonderful at it, and making me swoon. And giving amazing kisses.",she smirked.

"I could kiss you until the sun came up...", Quinn murmured against the brunette's chest, humming softly.

There was silence for a moment, the blonde listening to her lover's heartbeat while the brunette kept smiling adoringly at her while stroking her hair, until she spoke again.

"Then why don't you?"

"Why don't I what?", Quinn asked, glancing up at her curiously.

"Kiss me until the sun came up...", Rachel murmured in all seriousness, biting her lip timidly. "We don't have to do anything else. I just...I want to kiss you. Over and over again...You can stay the night and in the morning, I'll make you breakfast..."

Quinn rose her brows at the offer as she leaned up slightly, hovering above the brunette on her hands while she looked down at her, her hair falling like a curtain around her face. Kissing Rachel for hours was incredibly tempting, and so was staying the night with her. She had longed for something like that for as long as she had eyes for the girl. There was only one thing worrying her...

But it was like Rachel could read her mind, and the girl spoke up before she had the chance to say anything on the subject.

"Don't worry about my dads. They won't come in tomorrow morning, I promise...They won't even know you're here."

Quinn simply looked at her with a raised brow as she sat up fully, running a hand through her hair to push it out of her face.

"Rachel, my car's in the driveway, remember? Look, I want to stay but...I don't want to get you in trouble...I should just go.",she said quietly with a sad smile, but just as she was about to get up, she was met with the most heartbreaking pout and puppy dog eyes she had ever seen.

Damn. Those should be illegal. Rachel couldn't pull that! They would get in trouble if she stayed.

But...She couldn't say no to that pout.

Sighing heavily, she crawled back over to her and pecked her lips. "What are you going to tell them in the morning?"

Rachel's eyes lit up and she beamed because that meant that Quinn would be staying. The brunette's smile was infectious and she couldn't help but grin as well as she watched the girl happily bounce in place.

Curse Rachel and her adorableness. She'd jump off a bridge if Rachel pouted at her like that when asking her to do it.

"I'll figure that out when morning comes...",she said simply with a light shrug, which didn't exactly ease Quinn's worry because she was still frowning slightly.

Rachel sighed heavily and rolled her eyes at her as she slipped out of bed so she could get them both something to sleep in (although she did fantasize about them sleeping naked together they so weren't ready for that kind of thing yet).

"Quinn, relax. I'll tell them that you sleeping over was my idea and you won't get in trouble. I promise."

"It _was_ your idea, Rachel."

"Precisely.",she exclaimed with a bright smile as she handed Quinn a pair of sleep shorts and a tank top.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, they were both in their sleep attire.

Quinn had wanted to give Rachel her privacy and changed in the bathroom, despite the brunette saying that the blonde had seen her naked the day before.

She had blushed, but insisted on changing in the bathroom because again, she wanted to do this whole dating thing right.

And even though sleeping over on the first date was kind of breaking protocol, she just couldn't say no to Rachel. Besides, she would think of it as just a normal girl sleepover.

With lots of kissing.

But _only_ kissing.

She walked back over to Rachel's bed, tugging on the hem of the sleep shorts. They were a bit too short for her and the shirt a bit too tight, showing about an inch of her stomach as she timidly crawled into bed, where Rachel was already laying, dressed in a similar fashion.

Quinn felt self conscious in the clothes, even though they were pretty comfy and smelled just like Rachel.

The small girl chuckled lowly as she leaned over to turn off the light,leaving them in total darkness save for the moonlight that was shining in through the window above them.

"You look adorable in my clothes. I never thought I'd see the day where Quinn Fabray would be wearing my pajamas.",she smirked as she curled into the blonde's side.

Quinn was glad that the light was off, so Rachel didn't see how hard she was blushing as she still tried to adjust the clothes.

"They're too small on me...I look awkward.",she muttered,frowning slightly.

Rachel huffed softly and brushed her hand over the sliver of skin that was exposed between Quinn's shirt and sleep shorts, causing the blonde's stomach muscles to quiver lightly.

"I think you look sexy...",the brunette rasped lowly, pressing a kiss right below Quinn's ear, on the soft patch of skin.

That was enough to make Quinn's insecurity disappear as she cleared her throat and closed her eyes for a moment as she tried to quell the fire still burning lowly in her stomach.

Rachel had just found one of her sweet spots and she was trying to resist the urge to whimper.

A moment later, she let out a soft sigh as she composed herself and wrapped her arms around the brunette, pulling her close.

"Tonight was amazing and I can't thank you enough, Rachel. I'm happy that you liked the date...I was so nervous and I'm relieved that everything went as planned."

She felt a pair of soft lips press against her cheek and couldn't help but smile contently as she leaned into the touch.

"Tonight's not over yet...", Rachel murmured as she leaned up, her nose lightly nuzzling the tip of Quinn's.

Quinn crinkled her nose up cutely and grinned, her hands fumbling a bit in the dark before finding Rachel's hips. "Oh?"

"You want to kiss me until the sun rises...I think I'm up for that challenge."

And with that, Quinn leaned in and captured her lips in a deep, meaningful kiss.

But they never made it to sun rise.

Because when the sun rose over Rachel's house and the sky swirled with oranges and yellows and soft pinks, both girls were fast asleep.

Rachel's head lay comfortably on Quinn's chest, which rose and fell with every breath she took and her arms were securely wrapped around the brunette's small waist, holding her close as they both wore the same content smile.

And that was even better than kissing until the sunrise.

* * *

xxx

Don't hate me...

I know it's been a long time. And I know last time I said that I wouldn't take so long updating,but...Life,you know? It gets in the way.

Please be kind and review. I'm editing this at like four am so I'll get any of the mistakes I missed tomorrow.

I'll try to update Table for Two tomorrow after work and Paradise City on Sunday or Monday.

Again, don't hate me.

xxx


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